KDKA-TV (Pittsburgh) ran a story on the 8/28/09 11pm news. Said the cats will be available for adoption as of Monday, August 31st. The cats still are at the Clarion County animal shelter, which is operated by the Pennsylvania SPCA.
If you know any of the people who wrote to Best Friends last year, wondering how they could find out if any of the cats they sent to Tiger Ranch were among the survivors, please spread the word.
Note. As of midnight 8/29/09, Pennsylvania SPCA has not announced the adoptions on its website.
http://www.pspca.org/news/tiger_ranch
The latest Tiger Ranch news reads:
July 21, 2009On July 21, 2009, the Valley News Dispatch ran an article titled "Tiger Ranch rescued cats will soon be made available for adoption"). The article mistakenly reported, "An SPCA spokesperson confirmed that cat owners who can prove they own a particular cat from Tiger Ranch may make their claims by Wednesday to get the cats. Proof of ownership would include a photo, veterinary bill or vaccination records." Please note that such a deadline has not yet been established. Once the PSPCA has this information, we will post it on our website immediately. Please continue to check back for more information.
Here's the report from another Pittsburgh station, WTAE-TV:
Homepage > Pittsburgh News
POSTED: 9:36 pm EDT August 28, 2009
Thank you for keeping us all updated..Im posting a link for all of us to Remember and as a Reminder why we should make the trip to visit these cats,and hope they all have a second chance at a wonderful home and get adopted.And for all the cats that lost their lives and paid the ultimate price".We cant bring them back but hope the ones that did make it find the very best of homes with loving and compassionate people..All Cats deserve that,but these cats derserve so much more due to what they went through..Praying for those who lost their lives(Thousands In the14 Years of opperation) ,and for those that made it," Let it be the voices of those that didnt"...Making A Stand For No More Tiger Ranches And No More Abuse Ever!
http://tigerranchrescue.info/
Thank you, brownbat, for posting this and the other updates about this important matter :)
I just want to make sure that everyone realizes that this was not a Best Friends operation and that anyone looking to possibly reclaim a specific cat(s) must contact PSPCA. Last year we were trying to post any and all information that we came accross in an effort to keep members as informed as possible, and also set up a forum for people looking for a specific cat. In this regard, it would be easy to see how someone might interepret this as a Best Friends operation.
I sincerely hope that any cats that anyone is looking for are safe and sound and that they can be reunited as soon as possible.
Sherry - PA Forums Moderator
Sherry,
Can that special Best Friends forum be accessed anymore? I wish there were a way to contact the posters to that discussion who were looking for specific cats that they'd turned over to Tiger Ranch. They need to be told to contact the Pennsylvania SPCA now and/or to visit its shelter in Clarion County, PA to try to find their cats.
Thanks.
Hello casey,the only way I know that anyone here can contact those looking for a cat is.....The eaisist would be Have Sherry/B/F member post an update on the front page of B/F(on the Network Home Page) of anyone looking for a cat in the rescue of Tiger Ranch,dates of the adoption also..Or you, casy can scroll to the pages here on this thread and find those that posted on finding certain cats/information on them..It takes alot of work but you can mail them by clicking on their screen name, one on one and tell them there is an update on the TigerRanch cats and where to find it here..This is time consuming and I cant garentee the messages would get to them..I mailed a couple of them already,and noticed some of the people who use to respond to that topic hasnt been on line since before the new network took place..Maybe there is an update on you-tube,My-space ect..Your right though the word needs to get out somehow,due to certain cats could be reunited with their rightful owners..nic
Since there have been 65 views of this topic, hopefully those looking for cats have seen it and been able to get the information they need about contacting the PSPCA.
Casey - Yes, that topic is still available and shows up as individual posts on pages 10 & 11 of the Forums section. However, unlike the set up of the old Network, you cannot send a message to a member without submitting a "friend request" to them and them accepting it. If you would like to to that, in the chance that they have not seen this thread, they might appreciate it if, in fact, they are still interested in trying to be reunited with a cat. If they are still following the Network and the updates, however, then there is a good chance that they have seen this thread.
ihave13 - I'm not sure if you realize how posting things on the front page works. First, permission needs to be obtained from the author of any story before we can publish it on the Network as a news item. Sometimes getting permission takes some time, sometimes it comes rather quickly and sometimes our requests simply go unanswered. While I understand that this is a time sensitive issue - absolutely nothing can be posted as a news story without permission being granted. Also, every member of the PA Team is a volunteer, myself included. We do our best to try and contact the authors of stories as soon as possible, but since most of us also have full-time jobs and families, sometimes that doesn't happen right away. Which is where the Forums come in handy. Network members can post information as they come accross it and often times that means that the information gets out there sooner than we can get it on the front of the News page. This situation is a perfect example of that type of scenario.
So, with that being said, I just checked and noticed that no formal announcement about the adoptions has been put on the PSPCA Tiger Ranch update page. When that does happen, we will also request permission from PSPCA to publish that story on the front page.
I hope this helps :)
Yes Sherry it helped alot..Thank you for your help.nicole
August 28, 2009
Animals seized in the March 13, 2008, humane law enforcement raid on Tiger Ranch in Frazer, PA, have been officially released to the Pennsylvania SPCA, clearing the way for their adoption. “We are committed to finding new homes for each and every animal affected by this case,” said Sue Cosby, Chief Executive Officer of the Pennsylvania SPCA.Linda Bruno, the owner of the defunct animal sanctuary, pleaded guilty last month to 12 animal cruelty charges, which spared her almost 600 animal cruelty and other charges. Many of the cats were severely ill and had to be humanely euthanized; the remaining cats are being cared for at the Clarion County Pennsylvania SPCA facility.“Most of the cats that we rescued were under three years of age, so cats left at Tiger Ranch before September 2007 were probably not there when we acted on the search warrant last year,” said George Bengal, Director of Law Enforcement for the Pennsylvania SPCA. "These are mostly young cats that have long lives ahead of them."The Tiger Ranch cats were voluntarily signed over by Linda Bruno for adoption. They are available at the Clarion County facility, 9562 Route 322 in Shippensville, Pennsylvania beginning on Monday, August 31, 2009. The cost of adoption is $60 and interested adopters should visit the shelter in person. Adoption hours are Monday thru Saturday, 10 AM until 5 PM. The PSPCA is also reaching out to the animal rescue group community to help us find homes for these cats. “We welcome those groups currently working with the Pennsylvania SPCA as well as any we have not worked with in the past to partner with us on this important, lifesaving work,” said Cosby. Not for profit, 501(c)3 rescue groups wishing to assist with the Tiger Ranch cats should contact Ray Little, rlittle@pspca.org, 215.426.6300, ext. 251.TIGER RANCH FACT SHEETBackground: In March 2008, the Pennsylvania SPCA searched the Tiger Ranch Cat Sanctuary in Frazer, Pa., a 29-acre property owned and operated by Linda Bruno (aka Lin Marie) that was billed as a refuge for unwanted and stray cats. Upon entering the property with a warrant obtained from the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office and along with animal welfare experts from the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®), Pennsylvania SPCA officials found hundreds of cats living in squalor in multiple buildings, suffering from numerous serious illnesses and disease. The cats' symptoms included upper respiratory conditions, severe muscle wasting, abscesses, dehydration, malnutrition, purulent oral ulcers, eyes completely occluded with dried mucus and other conditions that required immediate medical intervention. Additional felines were found dead on the Tiger Ranch property. Animals were transported to the Pennsylvania SPCA’s Clarion County facility that was re-opened specifically to care for the animals removed from Tiger Ranch, were medical treatment and protection was sought.Linda Bruno was charged with seven felony charges for tampering with public records, seven misdemeanor forgery charges and three charges of practicing as an unlicensed veterinarian as well as hundreds of counts of animal cruelty. At her July 13, 2009 trial, Bruno pleaded guilty to 12 misdemeanor animal cruelty charges and two other counts of tampering with evidence. Prosecutors withdrew more than 600 other charges. Bruno will be sentenced October 5th and could face jail time. Raid Date: March 13, 2008Tiger Ranch Owner: Linda Bruno, 47, of Tarentum, PALength of Investigation: 6 monthsConditions: 1 house, 5 outbuildings in squalor; insufficient heat; malnutrition; dehydration; rampant disease due to a multitude of viruses and bacteria causing severe upper respiratory infections, pneumonia, septic arthritis, spontaneous abscesses and wounds, eye ulcerations, mouth ulcerations, meningitis, and septic shockTotal Cats Found by the PSPCA: 497 Cats Total Living Cats: 390 CatsTotal Deceased Cats: 107 CatsAdditional Animals Found by the PSPCA: 8 Dogs, 6 Horses Age of Cats: Under 3 years of age Total Cats Available for Adoption: 240Back To News