Animal rescue officials said they removed 40 cats from a neglectful situation inside a single-family home in Monroe County.

The residents of a house that caught fire Wednesday in Auburn Hills escaped, but firefighters had to go inside to rescue several cats that were trapped in the blaze.

Tiger Sox (left) and Billy (right) -- two of the 33 cats rescued from a Monroe home. MONROE, Mich. – Officials rescued 33 cats from what appeared to be an abandoned home in Monroe after a mail carrier noticed some of them on the roof. Penny Bly, the shelter director of Friends of Companion Animals, said a mail carrier called Monroe County Animal Control after seeing cats on the roof of the home. In total, 33 cats were rescued from the home and are being held at the Friends of Companion Animals location in Monroe. “FOCA’s main priority from the start is caring for the cats,” Bly said.