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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / July 2005Hoarding record?
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - About 300 cats, nearly a third of them dead, were removed from an elderly woman's Virginia home after neighbors complained of a stench coming from the house, police said on Tuesday. read more at... http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyID=2005-07 -12T135625Z_01_N12552313_RTRIDST_0_USREPORT-ODD-CATS-DC.XML or http://tinyurl.com/9ee43 > WASHINGTON (Reuters) - About 300 cats, nearly a third of them dead, > were removed from an elderly woman's Virginia home after neighbors > complained of a stench coming from the house, police said on Tuesday. > > read more at... http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyID=200 5-07-12T135625Z_01_N12552313_RTRIDST_0_USREPORT-ODD-CATS-DC.XML > or > > http://tinyurl.com/9ee43 This is shocking to my senses Im not fussin, just stating a fact. Wow > WASHINGTON (Reuters) - About 300 cats, nearly a third of them dead, were > removed from an elderly woman's Virginia home after neighbors complained [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > http://tinyurl.com/9ee43 Pathetic -- for both the woman and the cats. MLB > WASHINGTON (Reuters) - About 300 cats, nearly a third of them dead, > were removed from an elderly woman's Virginia home after neighbors [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > http://tinyurl.com/9ee43 I really don't understand what is wrong with these people. To rescue cats (or dogs) is fine, but why don;t they get them fixed?!?!?!?! Isn't a spay/neuter expense less than the cost of feeding 200-300+ animals in the long run???? Most communities have spay/neuter clinics, or barring that, and assistance program that will help with the cost of the proceedures. And the damage they do to the buidling (clawing, feces, urine) all adds up to even more of a cost - add to that the humiliation of being labeled a "hoarder" in the press & media, and then having to find another place to live because your "home" (and I use that term loosely) has been condemned by the Board of Health & Safety.... Yes, I have *8* cats, and yes they stay indoors 99.9% of the time (there have been escapees, and I include trips to TED as being outside :D ), *BUT* all mine have been spayed/neutered, so I will have only *8* - until such time that we decide to add another, or one crosses the Rainbow Bridge.  SignatureThe ONE and ONLY lefthanded-pathetic-paranoid-psychotic-sarcastic-wiseass-ditzy former-blonde in Bloomington! (And proud of it, too)© email me at nalee1964 (at) insightbb (dot) com http://community.webshots.com/user/mgcmdjeep > I really don't understand what is wrong with these people. To rescue cats > (or dogs) is fine, but why don;t they get them fixed?!?!?!?! Isn't a [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > such time that we decide to add another, or one crosses the Rainbow > Bridge. These people are mentally ill. They really don't know what they are doing. These situations are very sad, for both the people and the animals. Usually the person is charged with some type of animal cruelty, but I think they also should be ordered to attend counseling. -Kelly > > I really don't understand what is wrong with these people. To rescue cats > > (or dogs) is fine, but why don;t they get them fixed?!?!?!?! Isn't a [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > > -Kelly Yes, that's true. It's not like they just deliberately, suddenly collected 300 cats, either. Some of these people (usually ladies, rarely men).... do without proper food for themselves to *try* to care for the cats. They start out usually taking in strays, then they're unable to afford spay/neuter and the situation just gets progressively worse. They usually love the cats very much, but believe no one else will take good care of them and won't try to re-home them or take them to shelters. They're just sick. It's very sad. And you're right, they usually just get an animal neglect charge and get the cats seized. And they invariably start over with more cats. Sherry > > I really don't understand what is wrong with these people. To rescue cats > > (or dogs) is fine, but why don;t they get them fixed?!?!?!?! Isn't a [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > -Kelly And once again I ask are they really mentally ill or just dumb? Some one brings home a dozen stray cats (like me or anyone else on this group) but for nothing more than a lack of education or experience doesn't realize how fast cats multiply. Before they can round up the cash to fix the cats they brought home, there's dozens of kitten, and soon after dozens more. Then they're overcome by the hopelessness of getting them all fixed, and too embarrassed to admit what they got them selves into. And then to make them fell better and show our human support and compassion, we call them mentally ill. Until the police and press show up, neither of whom know sh.t about cats and act like this person individually brought home 200-300 cats. They day I hear a reporter in one of these cases ask "how many cats did you actually bring home" I'll get off my soapbox. Ron over 25 cats collected, yeah, I'm a cat collector, Am I mentally ill? > And once again I ask are they really mentally ill or just dumb? Some one > brings home a dozen stray cats (like me or anyone else on this group) but [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > yeah, I'm a cat collector, > Am I mentally ill? Well, they *are* mentally sick. No one who is mentally healthy lives among dead cats and feces. And saying that does not indicate a lack of compassion, far from it. The *only* thing that keeps me from being a collector myself is my ability to recognize my space, financial, and physical limits. They can't. They need help. I know what you're saying about reporters, though. Their job is to make the story sensational and sell papers. But, on the flip side of the coin, so be it! Let them. Media coverages helps *tremendously*. I would guess that by now the shelter involved is being flooded with donations because of it. Sherry "Ron Herfurth" <rgh2z@virginia.edu> wrote i: > Ron > over 25 cats collected, > yeah, I'm a cat collector, > Am I mentally ill? Got any pics? :) >"Ron Herfurth" <rgh2z@virginia.edu> wrote i: >> Ron [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > >Got any pics? :) It's got to be something if his place conforms to Lyn's standards. Then, I'd reckon his house is about 62,500 sq. feet. > >"Ron Herfurth" <rgh2z@virginia.edu> wrote i: > >> Ron [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > It's got to be something if his place conforms to Lyn's standards. Then, > I'd reckon his house is about 62,500 sq. feet. No wonder she couldn't afford neutering, the light bill alone would eat you slam up >> "Ron Herfurth" <rgh2z@virginia.edu> wrote i: >>> Ron [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > It's got to be something if his place conforms to Lyn's standards. Then, > I'd reckon his house is about 62,500 sq. feet. Sorry, no pics I just haven't gotten to the point where a digital camera is worth the investment to me. Sorry, about 1,000 sq ft. However I've only got 19 at this time and 5 are pretty much out door only. I do have the obligatory 1 litter pan per cat. ron > >> "Ron Herfurth" <rgh2z@virginia.edu> wrote i: > >>> Ron [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > Sorry, no pics I just haven't gotten to the point where a digital camera is > worth the investment to me. Ron, you might be sorry one day that you don't have photos of your kitties. (Or maybe you have regular photos just not digital.) Anyway, I would love to see them if ever you do have any to post. When you decide you might want a digital camera, eBay has great deals--particularly Cameta Camera out of New England. For $200 and change you can get a 5 megapixel camera that does everything (point and shoot) or nothing (fully manual) depending on your wishes. The Nikon Coolpix has setting for both fully automatic and manual--and two others in between. Anyway, nice to hear about your kitties, hope to hear more. > And once again I ask are they really mentally ill or just dumb? Some one > brings home a dozen stray cats (like me or anyone else on this group) but [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > you > actually bring home" I'll get off my soapbox. I suspect most started out with only a few cats, strays that showed up at the house or took in a couple cats someone was giving away. It probably does happen just as you wrote, they start reproducing and it gets out of hand quickly, but the thought of giving the kittens to a shelter either doesn't occur or they think they are doing fine at their home. One case our shelter dealt with, all the cats were brown tabbies, all 90 of them. This person may have started with just two. > Ron > over 25 cats collected, > yeah, I'm a cat collector, > Am I mentally ill? Our shelter vet defines hoarding/collecting as having more animals than one can properly care for. If all 25 of your cats are well-fed, vetted, and have adequate space, then no, you are not a collector. -Kelly > Our shelter vet defines hoarding/collecting as having more animals than one > can properly care for. If all 25 of your cats are well-fed, vetted, and > have adequate space, then no, you are not a collector. > > -Kelly I think sometimes once somebody gets the reputation being the crazy cat lady, people bring them strays, too. That just adds to the problem. There's a house in town that's worrying me, and we have to just get up the nerve to send someone to check it out. The back yard is *full* of little wooden crosses. I mean, lined up like a little miniature (and full to capacity) cemetery. Something strikes me a little weird about that. Like if there's that many dead (cats? dogs? fish?) ... well....what's still in the house. Sherry > I think sometimes once somebody gets the reputation being the crazy cat > lady, people bring them strays, too. That just adds to the problem. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Sherry Eeek!! Yeah, that would worry me. Someone needs to come up with an excuse to knock on her door. TV and movies often play the Crazy Cat Lady for laughs and people don't realize what a serious thing this is for the person and the cats. That bugs me. I know, I'm such a stick in the mud sometimes. Signature-Kelly >There's a house in town that's worrying me, and we have to just get up >the nerve to send someone to check it out. The back yard is *full* of >little wooden crosses. I mean, lined up like a little miniature (and >full to capacity) cemetery. Something strikes me a little weird about >that. Like if there's that many dead (cats? dogs? fish?) ... >well....what's still in the house. Have they been building up over a lot of years? Or only the past couple of years? The reason I ask is because of a church I'm familiar with that has been putting up crosses for those that died in the war. However, that might be a bit ambitious for one person. It is an overwhelming sight. Here's a news article with photo: http://www.cjonline.com/stories/070905/rel_anderson.shtml User ID and passwords from bugmenot.com for cjonline.com below if needed: lala1234 fishman mimi foxie http://tinyurl.com/affnt Cops: Woman had over 420 cats in two homes 7/14/2005, 7:52 p.m. PT The Associated Press BURKE, Va. (AP) Neighbors who had wondered what that stench was from another town house spent Thursday coming to grips with the answer. Police said the odor was that of more than 100 dead cats, plus nearly 50 more live ones, being kept by an elderly woman. That same woman was arrested earlier this week after authorities removed more than 270 cats, both alive and dead, from another of her homes in the county's Mount Vernon section. Ruth Knueven, 82, already faces charges including cruelty to animals and obstruction of justice for the July 8 discovery in Mount Vernon. Police said Thursday they are deciding whether to level additional charges against Knueven after finding 134 dead cats and 47 living ones in a Burke home belonging to her family....(article continues) >http://tinyurl.com/affnt <snip> another article, more detailed http://tinyurl.com/aywxh Maybe I am wrong, but from what I can understand, her family was living with her, and allowed it to go on? > http://tinyurl.com/affnt > [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > charges against Knueven after finding 134 dead cats and 47 living ones > in a Burke home belonging to her family....(article continues) Just shakin my head. |
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