Helping cat hoarders

[lillydopp1]

Hello I live in Twin Falls Idaho and Nova situation of an elderly woman who has 80 plus cat have contacted the animal shelter the Humane Society because I don't want these cats put to sleep as I am a cat lover myself no one seems to want to help this situation and the woman doesn't have any money spay and neuter these cats cuz it cost $55 a cat here does anyone know of any help with this woman can get and these cats can get

 

[abyeb]

Do you have a low cost spay and neuter clinic in your hometown? There's a feline-specific one by where I live that will spay or neuter for $12. A TNR organization might be willing to perform low cost spay and neuter if you explain them your situation.

 

[Norachan]

Hi @lillydopp1

Thank you for trying to help this lady. Are any of her cats fixed? Are they kept indoors or are they outdoor cats?

I think the best thing for her to do would be to contact the SPCA and explain her situation. She doesn't have to tell them her name or address at first, she can just ask them what they are willing to do to help her and then, if she decided to accept their help, let them know where she is.

If the cats are an outdoor feral colony and they are on this lady's property there is no reason to try to move them. Once they are all fixed she may be able to continue to care for them as she has been doing.

If they are indoor cats it would probably be a bit easier to re-home some of them.

Is the lady willing to re-home the cats or is she hoping to keep them?

 

[di and bob]

The first thing I would do is to personally visit the local shelter in your area to find out the resources that are available. There has to be a TNR program somewhere nearby that may be able to help. That many cats is at the critical stage, there is no way for that one woman to properly care for that many. There is no way for her to properly socialize any kittens that come along either. They are going to start getting to the stage of starvation and disease and no animal should have to suffer like they are going to do if the situation keeps going as it is. Get hold of Alley Cat Allies on the internet and see if they can set up anything. maybe there can be some fund raisers set up to get them spayed and neutered, through posters hung up around town or even a go fund me account Twin Falls is big enough that there should be some program to help, it's just a matter of finding them. The antisocial ones will be very difficult to rehome.  If anything, perhaps many could be relocated to farms through trapping, but the farm people would have to be taught how to keep them caged for a month until they are acclimatized to the new surroundings and care giver. This could be done through ads in the local paper asking for help or getting on those free radio buy and sell programs.

 I'll pray for those sweet little souls, I hope something can be done. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for trying to help, you will be blessed.  

 

[lillydopp1]

Do you have a low cost spay and neuter clinic in your hometown? There's a feline-specific one by where I live that will spay or neuter for $12. A TNR organization might be willing to perform low cost spay and neuter if you explain them your situation.

 

[lillydopp1]

I have called several places here in Twin Falls and in Boise Idaho to help the situation everyone says they're overwhelmed with animals and I should call the local authorities but another organization said if I call the local authorities they will put down all of these innocent animals most of these animals are indoors and she does not have them fixed because it's about $80 $55 for a male and female to be fixed low-cost spay and neutering will only go down to $35 and only three discounts per household I am trying I have even called out-of-state different places I really feel bad for these animals as she says some of them do get sick and she does have kittens often she is willing to give these kittens and cats up if there is a no-kill rescuer that is willing to help

 

[lillydopp1]

The first thing I would do is to personally visit the local shelter in your area to find out the resources that are available. There has to be a TNR program somewhere nearby that may be able to help. That many cats is at the critical stage, there is no way for that one woman to properly care for that many. There is no way for her to properly socialize any kittens that come along either. They are going to start getting to the stage of starvation and disease and no animal should have to suffer like they are going to do if the situation keeps going as it is. Get hold of Alley Cat Allies on the internet and see if they can set up anything. maybe there can be some fund raisers set up to get them spayed and neutered, through posters hung up around town or even a go fund me account Twin Falls is big enough that there should be some program to help, it's just a matter of finding them. The antisocial ones will be very difficult to rehome.  If anything, perhaps many could be relocated to farms through trapping, but the farm people would have to be taught how to keep them caged for a month until they are acclimatized to the new surroundings and care giver. This could be done through ads in the local paper asking for help or getting on those free radio buy and sell programs.
 I'll pray for those sweet little souls, I hope something can be done. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for trying to help, you will be blessed.  

hello, I contacted the local shelter and they said if I bring any of the cats there and they look remotely said are under 2 pounds are not social enough they will be put down they said there's nothing else they can do not even offer the lady more than three vouchers to have them fixed which is $20 a piece I feel like there is no help for people like this or animals that need help like this it is very sad that people only help the people within their state or city when they're animals everywhere that need help there's only one cat rescue organization and it is ran by only three women and called Magic cats they said they do not have enough space to help this woman

 

[lillydopp1]

Hello I live in Twin Falls Idaho and Nova situation of an elderly woman who has 80 plus cat have contacted the animal shelter the Humane Society because I don't want these cats put to sleep as I am a cat lover myself no one seems to want to help this situation and the woman doesn't have any money spay and neuter these cats cuz it cost $55 a cat here does anyone know of any help with this woman can get and these cats can get

the first I heard of this situation was 5 years ago when I started working at the hospital and I ignored it I feel bad now hearing all the stories of the kittens and kittens not making it and just due to the fact that last summer her air conditioner went out and she came home to find a bunch of kittens Dead from the Heat I feel guilty for not trying to help sooner but I feel defeated at this point because Idaho seems to not be a place that really loves animals the people at my job they don't complain that the animals are being treated wrongly they only complain of her smell that's the only reason they want something done I don't know what to do

 

[Willowy]

Any little thing helps. Help her to get the 3 low-cost vouchers and pick the most prolific females to spay first. See if she can manage to rummage up enough money to have one cat spayed (at the usual low-cost rate) per month. It won't be dramatic but slow progress is still progress. Don't even think about the males until all the females are spayed---males don't have kittens. See how often she can get a voucher (once a year? Twice a year?). See if any private charities in the area are willing to help. Set up a GoFundMe. Put some ads up to see if anyone wants farm cats (if you're in a rural area). Talk to locally owned grocery/farm/feed stores to see if you can get cat food they're going to throw away (ripped bag, dented can, newly expired, etc.). Any money saved on food can go toward the spaying effort.

Are you friends with her and have access to the cats? Or do you just talk to her about it? If you can spend time with the cats, any new kittens should be handled frequently and socialized as much as possible. Then take them to the shelter as soon as they get to 2 pounds. Kittens have a pretty good chance of getting adopted as long as they're friendly and reasonably healthy.

 

[kittens mom]

If she can't get them fixed I doubt they are vaccinated either. What is the general health of the cats and what is the woman's health like. At some point if not now the living situation will become untenable for both the human and the cats. Does she own the home or does she have a landlord. Depending on the conditions inside the home she could find her home condemned or she could be evicted. I would try and find the woman some legal help because both her and her cats are going to need someone to advocate for them. Does she have any family ? Most rescues operate on a budget and offer S/N to personal pets. Even an TNR might refuse to help in this case unless she surrendered all the cats.

On one of the old AOL cat boards a landlord made one of our disabled posters get rid of most of her cats. She had to take them to the vet and have some of them euthanized. She went missing not long after and a poster nearby went to her home and she was found dead.

So the reality is if you have 80 cats someone is going to find out and someone is going to call and make a complaint. Finding emotional help for this woman is as fundamental as finding a way to deal with the overpopulation. Most states have adult services you might try contacting someone there.

 

[lillydopp1]

Any little thing helps. Help her to get the 3 low-cost vouchers and pick the most prolific females to spay first. See if she can manage to rummage up enough money to have one cat spayed (at the usual low-cost rate) per month. It won't be dramatic but slow progress is still progress. Don't even think about the males until all the females are spayed---males don't have kittens. See how often she can get a voucher (once a year? Twice a year?). See if any private charities in the area are willing to help. Set up a GoFundMe. Put some ads up to see if anyone wants farm cats (if you're in a rural area). Talk to locally owned grocery/farm/feed stores to see if you can get cat food they're going to throw away (ripped bag, dented can, newly expired, etc.). Any money saved on food can go toward the spaying effort.

Are you friends with her and have access to the cats? Or do you just talk to her about it? If you can spend time with the cats, any new kittens should be handled frequently and socialized as much as possible. Then take them to the shelter as soon as they get to 2 pounds. Kittens have a pretty good chance of getting adopted as long as they're friendly and reasonably healthy.

 

[lillydopp1]

she won't let anyone into her how she says her house would be condemned I will leave the situation is worse than we can imagine she has said that her cats several are sick she doesn't know how many male or female she's has she claims to only have one set of kittens right now she is in her sixties a lady lives with her it's on oxygen that's also in her sixties they own their home and Animal Control has been called before but they don't do really anything here in this small town they knocked on the door she didn't answer they left it alone the cats are my concern I've been talking to her today at work and she said she's willing to do whatever it takes as long as she knows that they will not be put to sleep

 

[kittens mom]

she won't let anyone into her how she says her house would be condemned I will leave the situation is worse than we can imagine she has said that her cats several are sick she doesn't know how many male or female she's has she claims to only have one set of kittens right now she is in her sixties a lady lives with her it's on oxygen that's also in her sixties they own their home and Animal Control has been called before but they don't do really anything here in this small town they knocked on the door she didn't answer they left it alone the cats are my concern I've been talking to her today at work and she said she's willing to do whatever it takes as long as she knows that they will not be put to sleep

Generally officials are mandated reporters. One ambulance call. A police officer called. Our AC had no teeth either and the county went back to using a sheriff.  Are there any church groups in the area you can approach ?  The woman is the key to getting help for the cats. To end up trashing your home and living with 80 cats takes some form of compulsive disorder. Even if you got every cat there vetted and chipped with shots and S/N she will continue to collect. Understand your local AC officer is probably unable to cope with this kind of situation. Many of these cases end up in court which will trigger psychological help along with probation to keep them from reoffending. Many of her cats may not be adoptable or even healthy enough to treat. this is the grim reality of animal hoarding. I helped clean out and haul horses from two different rescues. It was some of the worst neglect I have ever seen. Legally the people running the rescues were prosecuted and given probation with supervision to make sure they did not reoffend. You can call the fire dept. state police, or a DA and let it go from there or try and find family or a church group willing to help.

 

[Norachan]

As far as I know if this lady voluntarily calls the SPCA and asks for help she won't be prosecuted, no matter how many cats she has. The problem arises if someone else reports her. As she is elderly and living in a less-that-healthy environment I think there is a real danger of that happening. All it takes is her doctor to become concerned about her living conditions and make a call, or a neighbor to complain to the city about the state of her home.

Have you tried calling whoever is responsible for taking care of older people in your city? I'm not sure what you would call them, Adult Protection maybe?

I know you don't want to risk having any of the cats PTS, but if a lot of them are sick or are dying because of the condition they are kept in I think having them humanely euthanised would be better for the cats.