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Cats Rescued from a Life of Squalor

March 06, 2008, 6:24PM MT

By Jennifer S Hayes

Now out of a hoarding situation, life for some fortunate felines now takes a turn for the better.

Now out of a hoarding situation, life for some fortunate felines now takes a turn for the better.

By Jennifer Hayes, Best Friends Staff

In October 2007, the Navajo County Public Fiduciary Office became aware of an animal hoarding situation in Snowflake, Arizona. The living conditions were beyond unsanitary; feces and urine coated garbage was piled three feet deep throughout the house. The resident who lived in the dwelling had a history of serious mental illness since the age of 12, when she began hoarding animals. Talks with her brother led investigators to believe that the situation had been going on for years.

The woman had no concept that what she was doing was wrong, was committed, and is expected to live in supervised living the rest of her life so that her hoarding behavior does not reoccur. However, no one in the small rural county office knew what to do with the many remaining cats. Neither the regional humane society nor the local animal control officer would help. Pam Phillips, a Paralegal who works closely with the Public Fiduciary Office, is a true animal lover. When faced with the potential that the felines would all need to be euthanized, she said “That was just unacceptable to us.” She realized that her intervention was needed to save these cats who had already been through so much.

Phillips contacted a cat rescuing friend who called various organizations for assistance. The one person who came forward to help was Jean Meyers, the Northern Arizona Representative for the Animal Defense League of Arizona (ADLA). “They had no one to turn to, so they looked in the phone book and called us,” comments Meyers. “Usually there is a government agency to deal with this, but these people had no one.” Keep in mind, her organization is an animal rights group. She lacked resources and accommodations for animals, particularly for such a large number of sick ones. That’s when Meyers contacted the Animal Help Department at Best Friends.

“Like many individuals who encounter a hoarding situation for the first time, Meyers was compelled to help these cats but didn’t know where to even begin,” says Liz Finch, Animal Help Manager. “I talked to her about the importance of involving multiple agencies in this project, as few organizations – even Best Friends – are ever able to absorb a large number of animals at any one time. However, the conditions these cats were living in meant they needed to be moved out of there NOW and into a ‘staging area’ where they could be treated and made ready for adoption.”

Due to prior collaboration to assist people involved in trap, neuter, and return (TNR), Meyers contacted Second Chance Center for Animals Clinics Manager Kem O’Brien, who was able to provide temporary space and medical attention for the cats.

On February 19, Meyers, O’Brien, and the rescue team undertook the challenge to capture the cats still living in the filth covered home. “We thought we were all prepared for what we were going to see, but the reality was pretty grim,” comments O’Brien. “The pictures speak for themselves. They wore protective clothing; however, the conditions were so unbearable; they could only work for 15 minutes at a time without taking a break. In around five hours, the team was able to capture 42 cats. The brother later brought them an additional 12.

“Every single cat that we took out had some type of health issue,” notes O’Brien. After living in such appalling conditions, none were healthy. In addition to being malnourished, many were blind or have limited vision due to severe upper respiratory infections, including herpes viral conjunctivitis and calici virus. One passed away shortly after rescue and 32 others had to be humanely euthanized because their medical issues were too critical.

The remaining 21 cats have now been given a new chance at life. They are currently on the road to recovery, though due to the severity of their illnesses, they will need to receive treatment for the remainder of their lives. O’Brien believes periodic antibiotic eye drops or ointments will suffice, though there may be incidences of reoccurrence, since the virus remains in their bodies. While not contagious to people, because the cats may continue to shed the virus even after symptoms have dissipated, these cats should go to homes without other felines or that can provide quarantine housing.

Second Chance anticipates keeping the cats for another couple weeks of treatment, but then alternate accommodations must be found. Kitten season is coming soon, a time when the entire shelter and foster program is filled to capacity. It is therefore imperative that rescues or homes take in these survivors as quickly as possible. These felines have survived through the most deplorable of conditions; they deserve a chance to be spoiled and loved in a home of their own.

Meyers, who originally stepped up to save these cats, now desperately needs assistance from others, “I’m worried about their future. I need help.”

How to help:
• Rescue placement or permanent homes are needed for all 21 cats. If you have a shelter or rescue organization who can take in one or more of the cats, or if you are interested in adopting, please contact Jean Meyers at 928-773-8028.
• Though Second Chance is offering medical care at a significantly reduced rate, donations are still needed to pay for the cats’ care. Tax deductible donations may be sent to:

Animal Defense League of Arizona
PO Box 1973
Flagstaff, Arizona 86002

Please make a notation that the donation is to be used for the Snowflake cats.

For more information:
• Animal Defense League of Arizona
• Second Chance Center for Animals
• When Helping Becomes Hoarding
• Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium (HARC)

Photo credit: photos from the house provided courtesy of Jean Meyers.

Comments

Posted March 07, 2008, 9:24AM by cattees

How awful for all concerned. Thank goodness the cats and the woman will be getting the help they need.

Posted March 06, 2008, 7:23PM by bogiedew

This is so heartbreaking..those poor cats!!
Did that woman live in that home as well??

Posted March 27, 2008, 6:39PM by Beyondblessed

I worked for the AZ SPCA about 7 years ago and saw the exact same thing personally as I investigated the case and then we, as a team, came in with the police and a warrant to remove all 79 of the cats.

It looked exactly like this situation. Much to my horror, all the cats went right from the scene to a local veterinarian to be euthanized because "there was no where for them to go and who knew how sick they were". Guess we'll never know because no one cared enough to check. I left that organization soon after, deemed a "trouble-maker" because I "questioned" their tactics. I pray that their procedures have changed since then.

Posted April 12, 2008, 4:39PM by GothyQT

I know many of the people related to the hoarder from this article. Although some members of her family have known about her problem for years, please understand that it is a difficult situation for any family to go through. It's difficult to make that decision to "give up" trying to help via traditional means and put a family member into an inpatient care facility. She did love each and every one of her animals and was sure that any one of them that was let outside would be attacked and eaten by coyotes, which is a common occurrence in this rural area. Also this is a problem that occurs gradually, a person never starts with a hundred cats in their home. Due to her fixed disability income, and lack of transportation it was difficult for her to get her animals to a vet for vaccinations or spay/neuter services. Like most hoarders, she had the good intentions of trying to take in stray cats; trying to protect them from the coyotes. Her mental illness makes it hard for her to see a situation as it's getting worse and lack of appropriate resources to help her only compounds the situation. Even after she could see the problem there were few options open to her. As evident by this article, it is difficult even for professionals to find agencies to help with a problem this large. How can anyone expect a mentally impaired individual to find help. Her family has taken action on her behalf, tried to get her help, in fact this seizure is the direct out come of a family's desperate cry to government officials for help. But with the current overcrowding and dilapidated facilities in the Arizona mental health programs, I don't know how this will end. Keeping her in a hospital all her life is not a viable option to anyone who knows much about it. She will be released, and her family will inevitably find themselves in the same situation again. Mental health situations are tough, and there are no easy answers. In the end all we can do is offer our prayers and support for the people involved, volunteer our time and money to the dangerously understaffed and underfunded animal welfare associations in our communities, and hope for the best. It's easy to criticize people for their actions, it's much more difficult to try to help them recover.

Posted March 13, 2008, 1:17AM by Spax

I just saw a story on the news about 800 dogs and 80 something parrots found in a trailer near Tucson Arizona, also a hoarding situation. The hoarders were breeding these small dogs. It breaks my heart, knowing that a lot of people buy these small breeds. I'm so sick and tired of hoarders. If they at least could stick to hoarding objects.
I'm very sad for the kitties that did not survive that horrible situation.

Posted March 13, 2008, 2:1AM by carrie_fosters

This comment is in response to the story spax is telling us about below.

"It appeared the couple meant well" (from this story.)

Are you freaking kidding me??? They were selling these dogs on the internet! There were dead animals in the home! There were animals missing paws from either other dogs gnawing on them or getting them stuck in their cages!

Posted March 12, 2008, 9:38PM by mytwocats

OMG!!!I have NEVER seen something that BAD before.I hope the poor things go to good homes,it's just breaks my heart when people do this to animals.But she was sick,and now the cats have the chance at a better life mytwocats

Posted March 06, 2008, 8:22PM by jhayes

Yes she did. Her mental illness was so severe, she did not know any better.

Posted March 10, 2008, 2:51PM by sherylcatmom

Poor, poor kitties! Thank heavens someone took the initiative to make sure they got help. Hoarding is a horrible disease for every being involved. I'm not sure there's a "cure," other than never letting the afflicted person live without careful supervision, which seems to be what's happening in this case. It's too bad that her illness was known to people for so many years and yet this was allowed to happen anyway. At least these babies will have the care they deserve and others won't be subjected to this particular hoarder.