Antioch Family Needs Your Help!

Hello Everyone,

For those of you who are not familiar with the situation going on here in Antioch, please read my posting titled, "Please Help! Over 250 Cats Have Disappeared".
To bring everyone up to date, there are now nearly 370 Cats missing from families here in Antioch, CA. We have been diligently investigating these crimes and we are most certain that these crimes are being perpetrated by an organized group of people.
Each time a new "Lost Cat" report is filed, we are immediately contacting these families to inform them that the reason for the disappearance of their cat is not coyotes, or simple wandering away from home. We explain to these families how very important it is for them to search the outside and perimeter areas of the home to look for anything unusual or out of place.
On Tuesday of this week a familiy reported that they may have found physical evidence that, indeed, their cat was taken fromtheir property against its will. We immediately went to this home and yes, there was evidence to this effect. During the course of collecting the evidence at this home, we found significant evidence, a foot print in the tan bark near the fence. We left for only a short period of time to obtain casting material to make a cast of this foot print. When we returned one hour later, we saw that someone had purposely kicked all of the tan bark out onto the sidewalk and our foot print was gone.
It was obvious that someone was watching the proceedings. So, instead of turning around and leaving, admitting to this unknown person, that they had been successful in destroying the foot print, we decided to make it appear like our evidence had not been destroy at all. We took photographs of the area, we took measurements of the so-called foot print, and by the time it was over with we had gathered a little crowd. We explained to the pet owner, "It is obvious someone is watching us, let's just make them think that they missed in their attempt to destroy the evidence and that we were able to obtain phtographs and so forth. Now, we will sit back and see what happens"
Well, low and behold, the very next morning, Misty, the missing cat, mysteriously appeared on the front door step of its home. The family was overjoyed at her return and we decided to give them famly sometime with their cat before we contacted them to remind them to take their cat to the vet for a full examination.
Unfortunately, we didn't have to contact the family about the trip to the vet. They were forced to take Misty to the vet. Apparently, she was sitting on the doorstep, but she was unable to walk. According to the doctor, Misty had suffered a broken pelvis. The doctor stated there no other injuries at all to the cat, suggesting that the injury was not a result of being hit by a car. Instead, due to the nature of the fracture, the doctor felt as if Misty pelvis was fractured by some sort of force that was pulling downward towards her backend. We had already suspected that Misty may have been captured as she attempted to leap over the fence into her own backyard as there were fresh and very deep claw or scratch marks on the fence near the foot print. This, we feel, confirms our suspicions. We also feel that the perpetrator saw our evidence collection activity the night before and believed that their attempt to destroy the evidence was unsuccessful. We feel that he/she now only had one alternative to rid everyone of from the thought that the cat's disappearance was a result of foul play and thusly, returned the cat to the doorstep of its owners home.
Misty, however, will require a delicate surgery to repair her broken pelvis. The family has one other significant situation with regards to Misty.
Misty is the one and only friend to David. David is the son of Stephanie and John. David suffered a severe head injury several years ago which basically left him completely dependant on his family for everything.
I met David when I was there at the family's home and although, he could not speak, I knew that what his mother had told me was true. Misty was truly an important part of this young boy's life.
I am writing this message hoping that all of you will help this family save Misty's life. The surgery will cost over $1,200.00 and considering medications and follow up visits they are facing a $1,500.00 vet bill. They do not have this kind of money and the thought of putting Misty to sleep is terrifying them because they don't know what kind of effect this will have on the well being of their son.
Does anyone know of any organization or agency that can help this family? Please, they have done so much to help all of the missing cats from Antioch, we feel that they deserve a thank you in return. Since most of your know how our city is reacting the this situation to begin with, I felt perhaps, you may be able to point us in the right direction. They have to let the vet know, by no later than tomorrow, their decision as to whether or not to schedule the surgery for this coming Monday.
I don't normally do things like this, but I felt compelled this time. The perpetrators of these hideous crimes of animal cruelty have now placed in jeopardy, not only the life of a cat, but the life of a young boy as well.

Thank you everyone for listening. I hope to hear from you as there isn't much time.

Sincerely,

Jewelcat

Would a cat food company or pet store chain, like Petco or Petsmart, be a possibility for a donation? I'll see if I can find something on their websites.

I e-mailed Petsmart and Petco. From their websites, it looks like they only donate to non-profit groups, though. Wish I could've done more.

I truly hope that this turned out okay. In the future when this happens, contact Actors and Others for Animals. They have been wonderful helping out and can also give you references to other helping organizations.

I really hope who ever is doing this is CAUGHT ... Maybe I can help get the fire to burn hotter with the press. Let me know.

Angered To Hell
FeralGuardian

Thank you, whatever you can do to help us will be forever appreciated. If you or anyone you know has connections to an investigative report, this is really the type of reporter that we need to to cover this story.

Someone who might be willing to go in undercover or someone who is not afraid of digging around for answers and has the means and who has developed a network of contacts that will enable them to get these answers directly from the source.

We don't have anyone up here who would be considered an investigative reporter, and we especially do not have anyone that we can trust to do this task professionally and most importantly to keep the primary goal of recovering as many of these pets as we possibly can at the forefront of their thoughts.

Yes, anyone that might be able to connect us to an investigative reporter, please contact me a.s.a.p.

Thank you all!

E-Mail me ALL the information you have, including the dates and where I can obtain copies of the newspaper articles. I WILL in turn pass it on the reporter here who is working on our missing small dogs story. We may be able to get some national coverage on this. Do not leave out one bit of information ... It is vital that they have everything they need to open an investigation.

I'll wait to hear from you.

FeralGuardian

Dear Jewelcat -- that amount of disappearance sounds very much as if they have found a market for the cats. I read on the internet about makeing things from catskin -- which used to be done back in the 18th and 19th centuries. You can also use the fur and not just the leather. Another suggestion is animal experiments. Misty was probably return rather than killed outright because a lab wouldn't take her in such a condition. Or because you got lucky and the investigation was timely enough that the catnappers hadn't yet unloaded the most recent catches.

All of which is ghastly to contemplate and I think the police in your area stink for their inaction.

As to the pelvic injuries, yes, that's pretty much how they happen. I had my Lucky cat injured in this way when his dog-playmate made a jump at his hindquarters to keep him from abandoning their play by going into the house via the window sill. It was a stupid thing to happen, but the pelvis and upper thigh bone on one side were broken, and on the other side, the pelvis, with its socket for the thigh bone, and the ball of that thigh bone were totally crushed. It was two operations -- the first major one, and a second one to finnesse the position of the floating thigh bone -- then a third small operation to remove the pin that was holding the floating bone in place (it had come loose and was working its way through the flesh toward the lower spine. I was lucky in my vets and the total bill for all was around 500 US dollars. Of course, I did all the nursing care myself. The cat has to be confined in a largish cat carrier and only removed gently to clean the box. The vet should help Misty's folks to buy or borrow this miraculous cage rug that lets urine and spilled water go through and be absorbed by paper underneath and stays dry on top. It can be washed in a regular washing machine and it dries within an hour or two even in damp and cold weather. Lucky was in the box for 4 months before he was well enough to hobble around the house without injuring himself. After the second month, I would take him out and hold him in my arms like a baby and feed him special snacks with my fingers and sing to him. He came out of it pretty well-balanced for such a terrible long confinement . This happened in his 4th month and he is now a healthy loving grownup of 2 and a half years. His legs are a little wonkey and he uses both together to jump or run, but he manages ledges, window sills, and digging his necessary holes outside without too much discomfort. He can't climb trees, but his quality of life is good. His temperament is affected only a little -- he probably suffers arthritic type pains when he overdoes, but so do I -- and this makes him grouchy and irritable sometimes (as pain does me, as well).

Tell Misty's folks that the four or five months of confinement pass like a bad dream once the cat is well. But it is a fairly well-understood operation and if the vet thinks the cat can make a full recovery, then I hope they will be able to go ahead and do it. My vets let me pay for the operation on tiny installment for some months. Surely Misty's vet could do the same?

You are doing good things. Consider, though, that there is no real death, and all souls return. Consider also that all things that are born, die, and all that die are born again in an eternal cycle. Finally comfort yourself that all the good you do is rewarded three tmes, and all bad is equally rewarded three time over. What goes around, comes around. Spare a moment's pity for the people who have stolen your cats. They will pay in the cosmic scheme of things.

Thank you, Catherine. I will give the family the information about the "cage mat or rug" as you called it. What a wonderful item that is for those in need of it. I contacted Tony LaRussa's Animal Rescue Foundation out here in Walnut Creek. I was actually over visiting the family when they received a call from ARF. ARF was calling to let them know that they were about to contact the vet and ask the vet to offer this family the discount rate that ARF would normally receive in the event that they needed this type of surgery for one of their animals. I thought that was great! I suggested that the family work out arrangements at the vet's office and to even set up a fund where people could send donations to be applied towards the vet bill.
I believe that the family did finally get some relief for their cat and for their pocketbook, as well.

Thanks again!

P.S. Most of the information and evidence that we have collected on this case cannot be emailed, the files are just to large. I have had difficulties in emailing all of this information to other parties. Is there an address you can give me? I could send this information via Fed-Ex if need be. Please let me know and I will make it a priority to get all of the info to your contact a.s.a.p.

I live to far away for you to send stuff by courier (although I do it all the time with book manuscripts if the deadlines are tight). Have you the capability to ZIP files? Do you use a Microsoft Word program as your wordprocessor? I have recently made massive upgrades so I can keep up with my most advanced clientel (I am, in case I didn't say it somewhere, a freelance copyeditor and copywriter...), so I can unstuff and read every MSWord document (whether generated on IBM or Mac) up to the 2001 version. My sister just sent me 5 chapters of a book (of 10 chapters) that is over 800 pages long, and she ZIPped each chapter. Came through like a dream. I love computers...!

I would be grateful for more information.

my business email is [email protected]