Animal Cops

Has anyone on here ever watched Animal Cops on Animal Planet?I always watch it and I really think it is a great show but I was watching it tonight''Animal Cops Detroit''(a rerun from 2004) And they went to a house with over 100 cats and they were using some kind of cat claw to catch the cats and I think that it looked very cruel and painful.They weren't even trying to be compassionate towards the animals either.They were just catching them and throwing them in boxes.I know that in a situation like this it should take time and patience.These cats did not ask to be in this situation and I think they could have been a little bit nicer.Maybe I am only overreacting but I'm just calling it how I see it .Anyone else see this episode??

Yes, I watch that show once in awhile.
I didn't see that episode, but that does sound mean and painful. But I think they were trying to avoid being scratched/bitten - who knows what kinds of diseases/sicknesses all those cats living in their own filth might have? At least it didn't seriously injure them (I hope?) And they do care, I'm sure, the 100 cats sheesh that would take awhile to move by hand, especially those who run away, and like I said, there's the possible disease issue. So at least they are helping them.

They also were probably trying to prevent being bitten. I would guess that cats seized in that situation would have been put down immediately to test for rabies if they bit someone. While it may look cruel, it's the fastest way to get the cats out of there and into safety while protecting the workers. Even one cat scratch can lead to blood poisoning and cat bites can be even worse.
With 100 cats, if they couldn't handle them like that, I don't think you'd have anyone there to go after animal abuse cases!
I've also seen stray and/or agressive dogs caught and controlled that way. I really think it comes down to removing the animal as quickly and safely from the situation for both the animal and the handler.

~Julia

I guess that makes sense...I wasn't looking at it in that way. Sorry

I really think it does not hurt them very much. The animal cops usually say what they are doing when they do things like that or else the comment on it later. They would not intentionally harm the cats in any way. It is just the quickest, safest way to get them out of there and into a carrier. They got to be fast, most cats in situations like that aren't going to let you pick them up and say it's ok to calm them down.

There's no way you could safely catch those cats by hand. And if they are careful and patient in trying to get them in the boxes, they'll probably get loose and need to be caught again. You gotta get them in the box NOW! Sadly, when they go in situations like this, most of the cats end up euthanized. They are either so sick that it's just the most kind thing, or they are so incredibly wild that they won't make adoptable pets. I saw one episode where a good many of the cats ended up at a cat sanctuary, though. They do what they can. One episode had like over 140 cats in a place. The workers had to wear respirators and protective suits to protect them from the ammonia and feces, and it took them two days to get the cats out. Most of those cats were euthanized due to severe repiratory problems from living in such filth.
I wish we had stiffer penalties for that sort of thing. I understand that they can get out of hand if not fixed, but there's too many low-cost spay and neuter clinics around now for that to be an issue. Especially in a place like Detroit or NYC when all you have to do is call the SPCA and tell them "Look, My cat had a litter and now they are getting out of hand, I need some help with getting them fixed." One of those huge seizure efforts was due to ONE female cat having a litter of kittens. They didn't get them fixed, so they were inbreeding and just producing more and more cats. The guy said he was spending like $1400 a month on cat food and his house was so nasty it was probably condemned. And most of the cats were euthanized. There's no excuse for it. There was at least 6 weeks to two months between the first and second litters when he should have done something about it, but didn't. No excuse.

Amber

I think the people that do this sort of hoarding thing and do not get their cats fixed, I think a lot of them don't realize it is a problem. If they did, they would not be sleeping the a nasty house like that. I cannot imagine the smell.

I want to be an "animal cop" or humane officer so badly someday. I think of the few times I have called the local shelter and repoted something to the humane officer, and how loooonnggg it took her to get out to the place to check it out...and it just so happened that I worked at the shelter at that time AND I knew the humane officer! I wasn't even some random person, if I was concerned, she should have considered there might really be something wrong since I work in ANIMAL RESCUE at the same shelter she does!! I mean duh.

I agree with you Fatkittie and Jen...Animal Control is supposed to be there to help animals and respond to calls for animal abuse but unfortunatly that isn't how it goes.I have called my local animal control association several times for several reasons and majority of them they didn't even respond to at all.That is so sad that the organization that is there to help animal doesn't even help them half of the time :-( And yes there does need to be a stricter penalty for people who abuse their animals(most people barely even get prohbation)...

In my particular case it was about a Chow Chow that was chained up in the backyard of someones house with no apparent shelter. The humane officer just said a lot of chows aren't interested in shelter and the one she used to have had all kinds of shelter but never once went in it. It would sleep in the middle of the snowy yard with 2 feet of snow piled up on top of him. That is how this one I called in about was.

Turns out the people rescued him from an abuser and the dog was very aggressive. The guys wife was even afraid to go near him. And it also happened that he had an old car to go into or under to keep out of the weather but he didn't. He was on a really long chain so he had basically the whole yard to himself. But he got loose a few times and there was an elementry school right across the street where a lot of kids walked home. I know no one cut threw their yard as a shortcut!

I hate that cat claw and I always cringe when I see them use it. Even if it weren't for that, they're always really rough getting animals in cages. Even though some of the animals are wild, they're just really scared, and I really think they could be more gentle.

I saw that episode and those cats in that house were very wild- I believe they had to end up putting them all down because they were so feral and disease ridden I also remember that one guy did get his leg or arm clawed the heck out of... I don't understand how people can let the situation get that out of control- 100 cats!!!??? that house was beyond hope too- I imagine they would just have to burn it down

i have seen that episode and the rest of the other series and then i agree they had no choice but to use the claw, but i am not a big fan of the detroit one, only a few people seem to actually care, (alot of my friends and associates there also don't like that series) New York was and will always be the best of course.

I watch the show faithfully. I also have a monthly 20.00 donation and a pic of my adopted dog So I have watched that show and yes most of the cats where not socialized they said so the best thing was to not get your hands I the mess. Also we all know that if the animal has not had shots to stay clear. 100 cats in the house was awful and am sure there disease from them. If you noticed they said half had to be put down due to lack of socializing and health problems. I think I would of done the same thing. They try not to do harm but am sure in order to rescue and be able to have a good life there might be pain for a few seconds involved.




http://www.momof3rugratz.com/

They also have been dealing with these kind of situations and using that tool whatever its called, for a long time. They are experienced in that stuff. If they were really doing major harm to the cat, they wouldn't use them in the first place. I am sure it is very uncomfortable for the cat and maybe when they squirm it hurts a bit.

I have used this type of tool once on a feral cat. I was attempting to clean her cage and she jumped out, so it was my job to get her back. I had to use one very carefully, of course, this was just one cat so I had all the time I needed to carefully use the tool on her and talk to her while I was doing it. The animal cops need to get them out fast for health reasons and before they all take off.

We didn't see it like that..but after everyone explaining it to us now we understand better.I guess it also looks more harmful then it really is...