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Cat Forum / Cat Anecdotes / August 2004incredibly sad cat collecting story
http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2004/08/19/local/10053861.txt Just makes me SOOOOO angry >:( >http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2004/08/19/local/10053861.txt > >Just makes me SOOOOO angry >:( That's just awful. I bet the house will have to be burned. I hope they are able to save most of the cats. It didn't say whether any were in bad shape, but you know FIP and FeLV and a whole lot of other stuff is probably rampant in a situation like that. Purrs for them. > >http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2004/08/19/local/10053861.txt > > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > know FIP and FeLV and a whole lot of other stuff is probably rampant in a > situation like that. Purrs for them. I don't think they have completed exams. The cats in the picture do not look as bad as cats usually do in that situation, but it can't be good. No food, some malnourished. :((((( > http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2004/08/19/local/10053861.txt > > Just makes me SOOOOO angry >:( This is incredible, yet it is a story that seems to repeat itself. A man and woman abandoned a house in a town about 60 miles from here and moved to another house. Later, it was discovered that they had also abandoned dozens of cat. The situation was so bad that the house had to be demolished, by orders of the health department. That was more than a year ago, and I am still waiting for the trial. If I remember correctly, the situation was not discovered for more than *2 years,* and the statute of limitations for some charges had already passed. Aside from the obvious animal cruelty, this whole thing also does not make sense from an economic standpoint. All I can think is that the evidence of animal abuse may have been so obvious that the owners did not even attempt to sell the property (but that is *only* my *guess*). Incidentally, the story you referenced is from Lincoln, Nebraska. I had one cat when I was a graduate student there, and one day someone from animal control showed up at my front door and wanted to see evidence that my city license was up-to-date. It was, but it amazed me that someone would appear to check on just one cat and only to see if I had paid the annual fee. Of course, the fact that I always paid my fee meant that they would have a previous year's record to verify -- and that obviously would not have been true in the case mentioned in the article you listed. I also don't know if Lincoln still has a licensing fee for cats because that was a good many years ago. (Note: this was a city licensing fee, *not* the separate requirement for rabies vaccination.) MaryL >> http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2004/08/19/local/10053861.txt >> [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > > MaryL Yup. They still show up at your door if you are late paying. They, overall, do a very good job, but it only works if you have ever taken your cat to a vet and then they have it on record you have the cat. These had obviously never been vetted so they had no way to know they were there. > http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2004/08/19/local/10053861.txt > > Just makes me SOOOOO angry >:( I hate to preach to the choir, but this is what happens when you don't spay and neuter... Meowmie Debby >> http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2004/08/19/local/10053861.txt >> [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > >Meowmie Debby True! It also happens when someone is a can short of a six pack. hpickering@austin.rr.com had some very interesting things to say about Re: incredibly sad cat collecting story: >>> http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2004/08/19/local/10053861.txt >>> Just makes me SOOOOO angry >:( >>I hate to preach to the choir, but this is what happens when you don't >>spay and neuter... >True! >It also happens when someone is a can short of a six pack. Only one?  Signature"The universe is quite robust in design and appears to be doing just fine on its own, incompetent support staff notwithstanding. :-)" - the Dennis formerly known as (evil), MCFL >I hate to preach to the choir, but this is what happens when you don't >spay and neuter... > >Meowmie Debby True, but I think it goes way beyond that, too. They constantly are collecting new dogs/cats/whatever the case may be. They refuse to ever turn any over to anyone else, including shelters, because they think the animal won't be as loved as it is. Most of them start out like normal cat-lovers, even spaying/neutering, but the numbers grow, the situation gets away from them, and it becomes impossible to take proper care of them. Sometimes they even neglect their own needs to try to take care of the animals. The last time we seized animals from a collector, it was a woman who had managed to take minimal care of over 200 dogs. Then her husband had a heart attack, and she broke her leg. Things deteriorated rapidly from there and it turned awful. But it was sad, too. The lady was totally brokenhearted over her pets. It's a sickness. I felt sorry for her. The judge suspended her animal neglect sentence, and ordered her to never own another companion animal.That was 3 years ago. I saw her about a month ago, at a farm supply store buying a heat lamp. It creeped me out. I'm afraid she was buying it for puppies. Sherry > The last time we seized animals from a collector, it was a woman who > had managed to take minimal care of over 200 dogs. Then her husband [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > her. The judge suspended her animal neglect sentence, and ordered her > to never own another companion animal. That seems a little harsh to me. Here's someone who clearly loves animals, yet can never have another pet? Couldn't the judge have said she could only have one pet? That wouldn't be any harder to enforce than the order she got (to have *no* pets), and she'd at least be able to have an animal companion. Joyce > That seems a little harsh to me. Here's someone who clearly loves animals, > yet can never have another pet? Couldn't the judge have said she could [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Joyce I thought that too, at first. But animal collecting is sort of an addiction. It's better to go cold turkey and stay away from having any animals rather than have one, and find oneself thinking "just one more. That wouldn't be bad, would it?" It's also easier to police than the woman claiming that a new animal is really the old one and you must be mistaken about the markings/color or whatever. Pam S. Who thinks that the collectors would be better at volunteering at shelters, so long as their vehicles can be checked for stray "passengers." > Pam S. Who thinks that the collectors would be better at volunteering at > shelters, so long as their vehicles can be checked for stray "passengers." That's not a bad idea, either! Joyce >That seems a little harsh to me. Here's someone who clearly loves animals, >yet can never have another pet? Couldn't the judge have said she could [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > >Joyce I kind of thought so, too, but the woman obviously couldn't stop and probably wouldn't stop with 1. She probably won't stop anyway. She needed court-ordered counseling IMO. They got so many dogs, kept them all in the house till there was no room for *them* so they moved. She'd go back and feed them, etc. and in the meantime, had collected a houseful at the new house. It was a rental house, and it had to be burned it was so nasty. I can't believe the landlord didn't check on his house. Another side note: A few of the animnals were microchipped, and had been stolen out of their own back yards. So she was more than a rescuer gone wrong. She actually stole dogs, saying they would be happier with her. It wasn't a cruelty case at all. She loved those dogs. She cared for them the best she physically/financially could. She couldn't help it. Sherry Sherry > >That seems a little harsh to me. Here's someone who clearly loves animals, > >yet can never have another pet? Couldn't the judge have said she could [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > Sherry Woooow. That is really mentally unbalanced. I hope she did get counselling. >>That seems a little harsh to me. Here's someone who clearly loves animals, >>yet can never have another pet? Couldn't the judge have said she could [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >wouldn't stop with 1. She probably won't stop anyway. She needed court-ordered >counseling IMO. <snip> you're right, sounds like she needs counseling. I sometimes watch those Animal Planet cop shows where they go to a collector's house. It's always sad to see the collector crying as the animals are being taken away and that the animals are loved and in good health. Yet, when they arrive back at the shelter the animals are usually infested by parasites, matted, anti-social, etc. That's one thing about this recent story of 146 cats being seized that is different. Sounds like these cats were actually pretty well socialized, even though not in the best of health. SignatureSteve Touchstone, faithful servant of Sammy, Little Bit and Rocky stouchst@JUNKsirinet.net [remove Junk for email] Home Page: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/index.html Cat Pix: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/animals.html > >>That seems a little harsh to me. Here's someone who clearly loves animals, > >>yet can never have another pet? Couldn't the judge have said she could [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > >> > >>Joyce I agree. She loves animals and ought to be allowed "one" > >I kind of thought so, too, but the woman obviously couldn't stop and probably > >wouldn't stop with 1. She probably won't stop anyway. She needed court-ordered [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > these cats were actually pretty well socialized, even though not in > the best of health. >> That seems a little harsh to me. Here's someone who clearly loves >> animals, yet can never have another pet? Couldn't the judge have >> said she could only have one pet? >> Joyce > I kind of thought so, too, but the woman obviously couldn't stop and > probably wouldn't stop with 1. She probably won't stop anyway. Yeah, Pam said the same thing, but I wonder. Didn't she start with 4, but didn't get them neutered, so they started reproducing, and she lost control of the situation? If that was the case, then that's not the same as compulsively collecting animals. So if she'd been given a judgement that she could have one *neutered* pet, that doesn't mean she would suddenly start collecting strays, if she never did it before. But I don't think we'll ever know what her reasons were for ending up with 146 cats. I'm just glad most of them are adoptable, and I hope they'll find good homes soon - preferably with *lots* of space! Joyce > Couldn't the judge have said she could only have one pet? Hee hee...my dad tried that approach when my mom started feeding Capt. Midnight nine years ago...and again when she brought Kitty Schottland home seven years ago...and again when I moved home with Lilith Kitten... What that "collector" needs is therapy, to learn why she collects and doesn't take care of her animals. IMO, someone with that much love in her heart CAN be rehabilitated. PixieDust413 > http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2004/08/19/local/10053861.txt > > Just makes me SOOOOO angry >:( Me too. I'm glad those cats are now getting proper care, though. I hope some will be saved and given loving new homes. I don't understand how, when a person can smell cat pee down the block, a person can LIVE in that house and not know something is wrong! Much as I love my cat children, I do not love the scent of their pee! z,r;odds > > http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2004/08/19/local/10053861.txt > > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > z,r;odds Well, that of course was B.S. The shelter is taking food, litter and carpet donations. I have to get some money down there. THey are going to try to place as many as possible, but I'm sure they haven't even been able to check them all out yet. So frustrating. http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2004/08/20/top_story/10053926.txt Most rescued cats adoptable By Leah Thorsen A few days ago, 146 cats shared a stinky basement. By Thursday, their living quarters, although less than spacious, had improved. They now share roomy cages usually reserved for dogs at the Capital Humane Society. Animal Control found the cats, most in a 12-by-13?-foot basement room of 4120 Linden St., on Tuesday afternoon. On Thursday, shy cats huddled together toward the backs of cages. The more sociable ones peered around, some scratching their itchy ears or lapping up water. One by one, they were taken to a table in the center of the room. Megan Pieper held each cat while Elizabeth Ehrlich drew blood from a hind leg, testing for feline leukemia and feline AIDS. "Almost done, sweetheart, almost done," Pieper consoled one cat that didn't particularly enjoy the procedure. But he didn't bite or hiss. None of the cats did, both women said. One began to purr just as Ehrlich removed the syringe - he craned his head toward Pieper for a chin scratch. The women work for Nebraska Animal Medical Center, one of seven local veterinary clinics to volunteer time and supplies to treat the cats. Within 10 minutes after drawing the blood, the tests showed which animals were sick. Just before they finished, that number was zero. That's good news, because officials had predicted most of the cats would be healthy enough for adoption. Good news for the cats and good news for the cramped shelter. This is a crowded time of year anyway, when many cats are breeding, said Bob Downey, the Humane Society's executive director. Before the addition of the 146 cats - the city's largest cat rescue ever - the shelter already housed roughly 100 cats. The cats' owners said they started with four cats in 1999, and they multiplied, Downey said. Rickey Meyer, 49, was ticketed on suspicion of several violations, including exceeding the legal number of cats in a house and unsanitary conditions. Officials are sifting through ideas for ways to tempt people into adopting the cats - "very nice cats," Ehrlich said. Downey estimated that fewer than 10 would have to be euthanized. Those are the cats without teeth, or with genetic disorders, caused by inbreeding, that make them shake constantly. Housing them isn't cheap: Downey said the shelter would spend about $10,000 caring for the rescued cats. "This is an classic example of why people need to spay and neuter pets," he said. Reach Leah Thorsen at 473-7246 or lthorsen@journalstar.com. >http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2004/08/20/top_story/10053926.txt > >Most rescued cats adoptable > >By Leah Thorsen >A few days ago, 146 cats shared a stinky basement. <snip> Glad to hear the (mostly) good news that most are adoptable. Course it's terrible for the ones who will have to be TPS, but really 10 out of 146 is a lot better than I would have expected. Purrs for good forever homes to be found soon, where they have lots most than a tiny, crowded basement. SignatureSteve Touchstone, faithful servant of Sammy, Little Bit and Rocky stouchst@JUNKsirinet.net [remove Junk for email] Home Page: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/index.html Cat Pix: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/animals.html |
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