[scottd]

Hi.

I had to post about this.

The shelter I volunteer at will be getting a warrant to seize 30 cats and 2 wild raccoons from a lady soon. This insane lady went out on a river and trapped 2 raccoons. Raccoons can carry rabies and show no symptoms at all. The state humane society will probably called in so I probably won't get to help. The cats are all sick and we don't have the resources to capture them, vet them, and house them all.

It is actually illegal to have raccoons where she lives without a permit from the state. She also isn't supposed to have more than 5 cats as per city ordinance. That ordinance is selectively enforced though. AC doesn't have resources to actively find people who violate it. If you take care of your animals, AC doesn't bother.

So yeah... that's my story for the day!

 

[spirite]

OMG, a hoarder. Are the cats feral or will you be able to get some adopted? She didn't have the cats and raccoons living inside did she?

Are the 30 cats all of the cats or is she being allowed to keep some? That's the worrisome part. If they let her keep cats, the chances she'll s/n and keep this from happening again seem pretty small.

 

[scottd]

OMG, a hoarder. Are the cats feral or will you be able to get some adopted? She didn't have the cats and raccoons living inside did she?

Are the 30 cats all of the cats or is she being allowed to keep some? That's the worrisome part. If they let her keep cats, the chances she'll s/n and keep this from happening again seem pretty small.

I have no idea if they're feral or not. She does have them all inside.

She probably won't be keeping any. When they prosecute cases here, they are court ordered from having any more pets. If they violate the order, they get put in jail.

 

[Mitts & Tess]

You need to check to make sure these cats wont be euthanized. Usually when large siezures happen, it gets in the newspaper and people start donating money to the shelter which is taking on the problem.

I remember Dave posting about a horder in Florida. There were cats which were blind and they were killed ala euthanized is the sanitized word. I was pretty upset to hear that. If a shelter is not going to medically rescue in a hording situation then dont take it on. Seems like atleast once a year a hoarder is busted in Tucson. The animal loves are always generous to help out.

I hope this will be a happy ending for these cats. Most likely your shelter will need lots of extra hands dealing with the removal of these poor kitties. I hope you can help.

 

[scottd]

As far as I know, we won't be doing the actual seizure (just getting the warrant to do so) but from past experience, the animals are seized, vetted, and put up for adoption. If any animals are deemed too ill to be saved by the veterinarian, they are euthanized though. A blind cat that is healthy or can be brought back to health would not be euthanized.

We don't have resources to do it. We will call in the state humane society.

 

[Mitts & Tess]

Just a FYI. All Humane Societies are independent. There are no state HS. Each one has their own philosophy. In Arizona we have one that is no kill equation and there is one that is a **** hole, which weve had horrible experiencces with. They each have their own level of resources and some that work closely with other rescues in their area. It all depends on their director of each shelter. Do your home work before you reach out for help. Inquire with other rescues and TNR groups state wide on how to orchestrate this removal.

The kitties futures hang in the balance. Its heart breaking dealing with hoarders. They are blindly neglectful on a large scale. It will rip you up. My Tnr group has been called in on a few in our area by the sheriff. Made me want to euthanize the hoarders they were so heartless. And Im usually the controled member going in to situations! I was disturbed for months afterwards.

 

[shan841]

Yeah every once in a while I hear about an emergency need for foster/rescue when my shelter takes in animals from a hoarding situation. It really is heartbreaking. Taking that many animals in at one time when a shelter is already full is just a nightmare

 

[scottd]

Just a FYI. All Humane Societies are independent. There are no state HS. Each one has their own philosophy. In Arizona we have one that is no kill equation and there is one that is a **** hole, which weve had horrible experiencces with. They each have their own level of resources and some that work closely with other rescues in their area. It all depends on their director of each shelter. Do your home work before you reach out for help. Inquire with other rescues and TNR groups state wide on how to orchestrate this removal.

The kitties futures hang in the balance. Its heart breaking dealing with hoarders. They are blindly neglectful on a large scale. It will rip you up. My Tnr group has been called in on a few in our area by the sheriff. Made me want to euthanize the hoarders they were so heartless. And Im usually the controled member going in to situations! I was disturbed for months afterwards.

I have no control over what happens regardless. I'm just a volunteer. I clean up after cats and show people around when they come to adopt. I will mention the possibility of getting other groups involved.

I say state HS because there's only 1 here. There policy is to only euthanize if there is a medical necessity or so agressive they can't be worked with as advised by a licensed veterinarian. The latter usually doesn't apply to cats but when you get nearly ate alive just by trying to put food in a cage with a dog that has been used for fighting, you realize that sometimes there is no other option.

 

[Mitts & Tess]

Knowledge is power. I always would talk to the directors of shelters I volunteered at. Give it a shot. There are lots of options for the cats. Im willing to brain storm with you. The more rescues calles in to help mean more resources and ideas to keep the cats from being euthanized.

Im uncertain what you meant by cats put in cages with dogs which will eat them alive. Surely you arent saying your shelter does this so Im confused.

 

[scottd]

Knowledge is power. I always would talk to the directors of shelters I volunteered at. Give it a shot. There are lots of options for the cats. Im willing to brain storm with you. The more rescues calles in to help mean more resources and ideas to keep the cats from being euthanized.

Im uncertain what you meant by cats put in cages with dogs which will eat them alive. Surely you arent saying your shelter does this so Im confused.

Of course not! Cats and dogs aren't even in the same room. I think you misread what I posted.

 

[Jacq]

I find hoarding situations fascinating. It's very sad when animals are involved but I have such a rubbernecking mentality when it comes to all the TV shows (Hoarders, Buried Alive, Confessions of an Animal Hoarder, etc).

 

[spirite]

It is like watching a train wreck, fascinating in a very horrifying way. On the one hand, I have empathy for the hoarders, who suffer from a mental illness that doesn't let them do what's best for themselves or for animals, if they're animal hoarders. On the other hand, looking some of the animal hoarders' houses that they've shown on TV, it's so hard to understand how anyone who truly loves animals could let these situations come about.

I hope everything works out for all of the kitties.

 

[scottd]

It wasn't as bad as the report said. People tend to exaggerate or blatantly lie in the reports for some reason.

There was 6 dogs, 7 cats, and 2 raccoons. The animals weren't ill or malnourished. She just has too many. We will probably work with her to rehome them.

 

[jamie.lynne]

6 dogs, 7 cats & 2 raccoons is certainly excessive, but I'm not sure if it qualifies as hoarding... definitely someone to keep an eye on, though.

It is very difficult to understand hoarders, but it's also difficult to understand those who are bipolar, have severe anxiety, and other disorders involving emotions and the way the brain works. This doesn't excuse hoarders' actions (especially when it affects trapped animals), but I always keep in mind that we can't expect these people to think & act like a 'normal functioning' individual would. Hoarders are often agoraphobic (meaning they are terrified to leave the house), and therefore their perceptions become very skewed. Things spiral out of control very quickly and they often realize there is a problem, they just live in constant fear of changing anything.