70 Cats Seized From Unsanitary Home (cats well fed, home filled with feces & garbage)

[Amerigo Vespucci]

70 Cats Seized From Unsanitary Home
Humane Society Officers Forced To Get Warrant For Cats

http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/15541930/detail.html

UPDATED: 7:32 pm EST March 8, 2008

NORTH STRABANE, Pa. -- Washington County Humane Society officers removed more than 70 cats from a North Strabane home Friday, citing unsanitary conditions. Humane Society officers said they were forced to get a warrant to enter the home along Acme Road.

Once inside, they said they began loading all the cats into crates and then took them to the Humane Society for evaluation. Officers said the cats were well fed, but the home was filled with feces and garbage and was unsuitable for not only cats, but also humans.

"They all seem to be as far as good weight and there are some cats that are sick," said Vicki Schmalzried, with the Humane Society. "It's just that basically there are so many cats living in unsanitary conditions."

Humane Society officers said they are not sure if charges will be filed against the owner. Once the cats are evaluated, they will be available for adoption.

[TheCowsCameHome]

1. Who the heck would want 70 of anything in their home?

Must be an illness.

[LostinVA]

2. It basically is -- they're called "hoarders"

Most think they are helping the animals.

[meow2u3]

3. Animal hoarders are usually mentally ill

The hoarders are typically obessive-compulsive, and they're fixated on bringing in more animals. They don't realize they're simply creating feral cats in captivity.

[UTUSN]

4. At a training for mental health caseworkers, regarding mental health warrants,

the psychiatrist said, "With other potential patients, you do a mental health assessment questionaire. If there are over 10 (to 20?) cats in the house, toss the assessment and just go get the warrant."

[Blue Diadem]

5. That's awful. Our county just had a case with dogs

and cats. IIRC, there were about 80 dogs inside the house another 20 or more in the barn plus numerous cats.

They were not taken care of properly at all, things like white fur turning brown from all the feces and urine, matting making it difficult for them to walk and most were so malnourished and underweight that even after a few weeks of being fed properly, they are still very skinny.

I often wonder if the people who hoard animals like that aren't charged..in what way are they stopped from doing it again. I'm not saying they should get jail time, maybe there should be something like being sentenced to getting mental health treatment.