Hoard of Malnourished Cats Seized from a Property in Georgia
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When animal lovers read about cases of animal cruelty, it breaks their hearts. Sadly, there are many stories that hit the headlines relating to the neglect and ill-treatment of animals. Recently, one of the most horrific cases of animal cruelty has come to light and has featured in the media, generating shock among animal lovers around the world.
Police responded to complaints from neighbors relating to animal cruelty and attended the home of Plaintive Drive in Savannah, Georgia. They were accompanied by Hardin County Animal Services who were present to assess the situation. The scene they discovered shocked even those who are experienced in attending homes where animal cruelty has taken place.
The officers discovered 50 cats in cages outside. Some of the cats were so malnourished that they were on the brink of death. The cats were living amongst their own feces and clearly were not being cared for at all.
Once inside the property, it became clear that the situation was even worse than they had initially believed. They found more cats in the home bringing the count to well over one hundred. Again, many of these cats were on the brink of death.
Many of the cats had fur missing and had suffered injuries. The officers had to crate as many cats as possible that were in need of immediate attention from a veterinarian. It is possible that some cats would not be saved.
The son of the homeowner was present during the time of this search and he explained that his mother had started to run a non-profit cat rescue center from her home. He explained how she had simply become overwhelmed by the number of cats there were to care for. He also said that his mother had acquired several more cats from a neighbor that had recently moved out of the area.
Although the investigation into this case is still ongoing, police have already stated that it is likely that the homeowner will face felony animal cruelty charges due to the conditions in which the cats were living.
Neighbors were not surprised at the events as they had been aware of the problem with the cats for some time. Due to the sheer number of cats living in the house, it had begun to impact on neighboring residents. They couldn’t walk around the block without being followed by the cats and they would often have cats in their garden or trying to climb into their cars. Neighbors also commented that the house was omitting a bad smell.
Sadly, this is not the first time that officials have attended homes with more than 100 cats that have suffered due to cruelty and neglect. Earlier this year, officials responded to a very similar incident in Lexington, Kentucky. Again, police attended following complaints of animal cruelty from neighbors. The smell omitted from the home was one of the signs that there was a problem.
After the police had obtained a warrant to search the property, they attended the home and were shocked by what they found. Living in the house were 135 cats, some of which were pregnant. Many of the cats were malnourished or injured in some way. A father and daughter living at the house faced 135 charges of animal cruelty as a result of the findings inside their home.
The officers who attended this property had also attended a similar situation in 2011. On that occasion, there were over 100 malnourished cats living at the property. These were removed to receive medical attention from a veterinarian.
In both cases, the smell from the exterior of the properties led officers to wear specialist protective clothing and boots to enter the home. The removal of the cats in both instances put a huge strain on the Lexington Humane Society who were left in a situation where they needed to make space for large numbers of cats. To achieve this, they had to rush through the adoption process of cats they already had in their care.
For responsible and loving pet owners, such situations may seem beyond belief. However, the frequency that such situations are uncovered is shocking. It is hard to comprehend how people can hoard so many animals and then not take responsibility for caring for them properly.
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