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Shelter cats accidentally flood humane society

POMPANO BEACH, Fla. — A flood at the Florida Humane Society in Pompano Beach, Florida, led to cats being evacuated, but it was not because of a natural disaster.

A faucet in a cat room of the shelter had been turned on -- by one of the shelter cats.

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Florida Humane Society President Carol Ebert told she thought a pipe had burst when she got a call at 7:15 a.m. Thursday about the flooding.

"The countertops are ruined, the walls are ruined," Ebert told WPLG. "We had lots of damage with food and storage we had in the hallway, (including) cat litter."

The water ran for nearly 17 hours. The cats avoided the water by climbing high in their beds.

Whether just one cat or multiple cats are responsible isn't clear, but Ebert said many cats had to be moved out of the shelter. Most are in foster homes, but some still need to be placed.

WPLG said the shelter needs at least $5,000 to repair the shelter, including replacing walls and cabinets that need to be torn down due to mold, and food and litter that was destroyed by the flooding.