I think the shelter is getting overwhelmed.

[Willowy]

Sadly, finding someone who could *objectively* look at the cats is likely impossible. Animal Control would definitely not be objective, and it could be disastrous. It would be great if someone objective could be found to go take a look, but it wouldn't be easy.

I did know someone with 40-60 cats at any given time (she wasn't a shelter but dealt with a rescue organization so the number fluctuated) who worked full time, and she did a very good job of taking care of the cats. I have 22 and work sort of full-time (varied schedule) and I don't find it to be a strain. I think I could handle more if I wasn't lazy and didn't spend too much time on the internet

.

I agree with catsallaround as to what would be concerning. With a lot of cats, there will be chaos, there will be marking and accidents, "kitty colds" will go around occasionally. You have to know what's really a red flag and what isn't that bad.

 

[callista]

Callista, you know in your heart what you need to do. I am done with this thread at this point. If you choose to continue to rationalize this situation, that is your choice. It would be a lot easier (and the right thing to do) just to call someone who can go and objectively examine the situation.

I do know what I need to do; I need to get the cats out of that situation somehow. Willowy and catsallaround have been talking about twenty or thirty cats; and it seems to me that the limit probably does hover somewhere around that. If there were only twenty, I wouldn't be worried. She can take care of twenty. She has the financial resources to feed them. But... seventy, eighty maybe... no. While they may not be in immediate danger, there are ominous signs, and I have no wish to wait until cats do start dying.

So I need to get the cats out, or contact someone who can. The question remaining now is how to accomplish that. I have limited resources and very limited social skills; but I'm creative and I'll have to think of something. If anybody has any ideas--I don't care how stupid they seem; even really off-the-wall stuff might spark something--post them, please.

For now, I'm going to e-mail her some recent photos of Christy; I've done that a few times before. The goal would be to re-establish communication and maybe give me some clues about how she's doing. Maybe I'll even find that she knows it's out of control and is willing to take action; who knows? If so, maybe there wouldn't be need for any kind of confrontation, and we could mobilize some animal-rescue people to find homes for about sixty of those cats. Last I was there, at least three-quarters of them were well-socialized enough to be friendly to me, a visitor. They really would be adoptable.

 

[Willowy]

That sounds like a good plan. Maybe start contacting rescue people now; even though it might be jumping the gun a bit, it wouldn't hurt to actually have plans before establishing contact. I hope it goes well! Keep us posted.

 

[callista]

Well, the cats had their photo op and the e-mail's sent. We'll see what happens...

 

[callista]

Well, the news is better than I thought. She still has the same number of cats--the population hasn't increased as much as I had feared. There are still too many; but she tells me she has not taken in any new ones recently, and she's not the type to lie. Unfortunately she recently had surgery and that means less energy to help her take care of the cats. I'm going to offer to help if I can get a way down there.

For now, I'm going to say this is probably a situation that can be salvaged--while it's not ideal, it's not getting worse too quickly. I'm going to keep things mostly private unless I find the situation is bad enough to intervene beyond just helping out over there.

 

[ldg]

Hope you're able to find a way to get there.

 

[callista]

She's told me she has help already and doesn't need to retrieve me from a dozen miles away. So, good sign, but it does mean I can't visit.

 

[barbb]

I know what you are going through, I also had a situation very similar to the one you describe where the cats were not properly cared for and the person was not doing anything to get them adopted. People mean well but they just totally burn out, they run out of money, they get overwhelmed. 

I also agree with you that blowing the whistle on this women is more than likely going to get a lot of the cats needlessly euthanized. And once you involve the authorities they will just follow the law. And the law, unfortunately, never does anything good for the cats. And contrary to what everyone thinks, the HSUS and ASPCA also euthanize most of the cats from hoarders. They publicize all their rescues and then they kill the cats and lie. 

The best way to manage ithis is to find out who she networks with in the rescue community (and I'm sure she has friends she works with). You will have to get names out of her unless you already know groups that she works with. Then you have to contact the people in those groups and tell them that she needs help. 

Then those people need to start calling her and telling her they have empty cages and they have a lot of really good adopters coming in, and that they heard from you that she has X or Y type of cats that a lot of adopters have been looking for. And then those people have to come over to her house or you need to go over to her house and help get those cats ready for transport to the other shelters. 

That is normally how it is done compassionately for everyone involved. It has to be done a little bit at first and then more and more. 

You have said you cannot get in touch with her. The one thing she needs most is for someone to reach out to her, take her to lunch, get her to trust and talk to you and confide in you. She needs help and support and so do the cats. The only way they will get what they need is from other shelters. And the only way other shelters will help is if her friends in rescue who are affiliated with those shelters know about her situation and if you help to make it possible for them to get the cats. 

The only other way it can be done is if you help hire a service to come in and clean the place up, and then help her get a volunteer program going using high school kids who need volunteer service hours for their college applications.

I know I keep saying you have to get involved, but if not you, then who? This is to help the cats, not necessarily her, altho I do feel for her. This is the way to keep the cats from getting killed and also to improve their conditions. Maybe you can bring a friend or some support for yourself. I know you say she isn't letting people in, but she will let you in if you knock on her door and come with food or something to share with her and just be a friend.