A few days ago we had two cats come to us from a cruelty case in the Flathead Valley. A woman had been found with more than 100 cats and 14 dogs in a house. Cat feces covered the floors, countertops and every other conceivable surface. In many places the feces were 6 inches deep. You can read a recent newspaper story about the case here.
The local Humane Society had asked if we could take two of the cats they considered unadoptable: a deaf white male with two different colored eyes, and a one-eyed female with a funky tail. The deaf one turned out to be an adorable, loving, purring fellow ... but very sick with a chronic upper respiratory infection and some dehyrdration.
The female is, well, terrified. She has not come out of the litterbox she's been hiding in for days. We learned she had spent her entire life in the woman's bedroom in this awful house, had never been around other people, and had no socialization. The cat seems otherwise healthy. So far all I've really seen of her is the top of her head and her one eye peering out over the edge of the litterbox in the isolation cottage.
I took the deaf one in to the vet today. His upper respiratory infection had started responding to medication but he continued to seem a bit dehydrated, and his fur doesn't feel right. So we're going to run some tests and find out what else may be going on with him. He is a sweet boy and a real talker.
I just can't imagine what it must have been like to live in those conditions.
I really don't want to over participate in this blog, but this is another animal subject I can't help but speak up about.
Animal hoarding, I think, is usually a response to trying to save animals from being euthanized in our "shelters". The numbers are staggering. Tens of thousands a year in San Antonio. It is a full time job to euthanize all day, everyday. Wake up humankind! If one person reads this and neuters an uncontrolled male dog or cat, or spays females, or one city provides more funding and awarness campaigns, great.
If you have animals you can not provide for or clean up after, get help!! Papers will print for free "free to a good home ads". Get help before the animal suffers. Please people wake up and pass on the message, SPAY and NEUTER!
Posted by: Karen/San Antonio, TX | August 23, 2005 at 12:46 AM