A Woman Kept 73 Cats in a U-Haul Truck at a Tacoma Motel. Ten Were Dead. One Was Partially Eaten.

73 Cats in a U-Haul. No Food. No Water. No Light.​

On November 7, 2025, authorities in Tacoma, Washington opened a U-Haul truck parked at a Motel 6 on South 76th Street. Inside they found 73 cats. Ten were dead. At least one had been partially consumed by the surviving animals. The rest were emaciated, dehydrated, covered in feces and urine, with no food, no water, and no ventilation.

Officers who examined individual cats reported they "felt no flesh between the skin and skeleton."

The truck belonged to Naomi Erma Harrison, 39.

The Charges​

Harrison was charged with 10 counts of first-degree animal cruelty and one count of second-degree animal cruelty. First-degree animal cruelty in Washington carries up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine per count. Her bail was set at $30,000. A trial date was scheduled for December 18, 2025.

If convicted on all counts, she faces up to 55 years in prison and a lifetime ban on owning animals.

KOMO News: 73 Cats Found Starving, Filthy and Dead Inside Tacoma U-Haul

The Conditions​

The U-Haul had no ventilation and no light. The cats lived in complete darkness. There was no food source. No water source. The surviving animals had resorted to cannibalism. The dead cats showed signs of extreme emaciation before death.

This was not a rescue gone wrong. This was not a temporary situation. This was a sealed metal box full of starving animals in a motel parking lot.

KING 5: Pierce County Woman Charged with 11 Counts of Animal Cruelty

The Pattern​

Cat hoarding cases follow the same trajectory: a person acquires more animals than they can care for, conditions deteriorate, animals begin dying, and the hoarder continues acquiring more. By the time anyone intervenes, the damage is catastrophic.

In 2025 alone, hoarding seizures have exceeded 50 cats in Bohemia (New York), Morgan City (Louisiana), Ottumwa (Iowa), Wildwood (Missouri), and St. Stephen (South Carolina). The cats always suffer. The hoarders almost always believe they are helping.

Harrison kept 73 cats in a truck. Ten died of starvation. One was eaten. And she was staying at a motel.

 

[barncat_dad]

73 cats in a truck with no ventilation; I've seen some bad situations with feral's on the property but nothing like this. The part about one being partially consumed really got me. These hoarder types always say they love the animals but if you loved something you wouldn't let it starve to death in a dark box.

 

[prairie_cats]

These hoarder types always say they love the animals

That's the part that gets me too. I know someone back home who use to collect strays and she genuinely believed she was saving them. The cats were miserable but she couldn't see it. It's a mental health issue more than a cruelty issue in a lot of cases, but the cats still suffer either way.