The SPCA says, on Sunday, 44-year-old Jun Takase came to the headquarters to inquire about the cats and reclaim them.
He was arrested and charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty.
The animals were discovered on Friday in the 1500 block of North 12th Street.
Police say Takase was being evicted by the landlord who suspected him of keeping a large number of cats in his small rented room.
In addition, the landlord reported an increasingly strong odor emanating from the room. When the landlord let the officers in, they discovered not only 12 cats in poor physical shape living in unsanitary conditions, but also additional deceased cats.
While the number of cats reported to be dead at the time was 17, the SPCA said on Monday that number had been increased to 26.
Many of the dead animals were being kept in the freezer portion of a refrigerator in the room and varying locations throughout the room, the SPCA said.
