Thanks Jacquie!  :-)  I know, they do grow so fast.  We've had him a little
under 2 weeks.  He's 2 yrs. and maybe 3 mos. old.  That's what the shelter
vet said.  I can't imagine all those animals in one house!  No wonder the
Humane Society got after her.

Di

Good evening, again! :)

Actually, this is the second time this woman has had Animal Control
confiscate animals from her.  I remember the first time, because I know her
name from where I work.  My co-worker and I were shocked, because this woman
is a nurse.  We couldn't believe that the neighbours would complain of
unsanitary conditions.  That first confiscation Animal Control with the SPCA
removed something like 56 cats and 25  dogs.  Colleen fought really hard to
keep her animals.  This was a big issue in the news for quite some time.
That was about 3 years ago.

When I went to the SPCA to pick out a new friend for Osker, who is 14, I had
no idea that Animal Control had gone through her house again, confiscating
30 cats and 12 dogs.  She was allowed to keep and maintain 10 animals.  She
kept 6 cats and 4 dogs.  That must have been extremely difficult.  She is
considered an animal collector or 'hoarder'.  She was very well-meaning, but
spent so much on vet care for the ill animals that she did not have money
for basic things like spays and neuters.  You know what happens when that
isn't done.  Twinkle here (usually called Winkye, which she responds to in a
flash *s*) had had at least one or two litters.  She is so tiny, it is
difficult to believe that she is 3!  And full of high-test gasoline, wow,
it's been so long since I have had a young cat around, I forgot what they
were like!

I still feel badly for Colleen, she tried really hard to take care of all
these animals.  Then you get told "pick 10"?  They were brought into the
SPCA July 28/04, and quarantined until Jan 13/05, then brought out to the
adoption rooms.  The technicians used that time to socialize them, etc.  At
first, Wink would come to get me every time she wanted to eat, so I could
sit behind her.  Then I wondered, when you feed 36 cats, do you fill a
trough with cat food?  How much lap time do any of them get? Are the dogs
all pushy?

Wink would just flop in my lap like she couldn't believe she could just have
the whole thing.  Now she just takes it for granted :)  Osker is not much of
a lap cat.

Yes, Colleen definitely is a "collecter/hoarder".  I guess her place was
pretty clean, but the back yard was full of dog poopies and that was gross.
The SPCA now monitors her closely.  That would drive me crazy.  My home, I
should be able to take in a stray cat if I wanted to.

On a nurse's salary, she could afford more animals, but almost 40 kitties
and all those dogs...............I think of Munchkin's vet bill and multiply
that by even 10 cats and say 6 dogs.................one starts to live on
beans and macaroni a little.

It is too bad that when people like that try to help, there isn't some way
they can't be declared a non-profit organization. AS LONG as they keep
things up and are clean.  Some of the horror stories, feces two feet high,
dead animals in the house, ugh.  No thanks.

I think Wink does miss having a few more cats around, but not 35 more!

Mel