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Almost 100 cats rescued from life of squalor
After receiving complaints of cats being kept in squalid conditions, the Bloemfontein SPCA removed 93 from a house in Bloemfontein. While the property owners initially set out to ‘save’ cats’ lives, things began to fall apart, resulting in the situation getting out of control at the expense of the animals’ health and well-being. …
After receiving complaints of cats being kept in squalid conditions, the Bloemfontein SPCA removed 93 from a house in Bloemfontein.
While the property owners initially set out to ‘save’ cats’ lives, things began to fall apart, resulting in the situation getting out of control at the expense of the animals’ health and well-being.
When we arrived at the house in Wilgehof, Bloemfontein, there were cats everywhere we stepped, and cat faeces throughout. The cats’ litter box was overflowing and consequently the cats were defecating all over the house. There were a lot of kittens in one room, with excrement all over the carpets. The smell was unbearable.
We had the cats examined and many had contracted a severe infectious disease. The sick cats had not been separated from the healthy ones, which was very irresponsible. We asked the owner of the house to show us the cats’ medical records but she was unable to produce these. We also asked if the cats had been vaccinated against rabies. The owner confirmed they had not. Again, this is incredibly irresponsible as rabies is fatal to both humans and animals.
In another room, we found a dead kitten in amongst all the other cats. The owner was not even aware of the dead cat. Moreover, there were feral cats among the ‘tame’ ones. Some cats had clear compatibility problems and were kept in a cage outside the house. This cage was also full of faeces and the litter box had clearly not been cleaned out for a long time. The circumstances in which these animals were forced to live were unacceptable – dirty and unhygienic – and certainly not with the cats’ best interest at heart.
All 93 cats were removed and taken to the Bloemfontein SPCA. A charge of animal cruelty is to be laid against the owner.
With this in mind, Bloemfontein SPCA would like to ask that no one let a situation get out of control at the expense of animals. We would like to ask members of the public to first do your homework on an animal organisation before supporting it or taking animals to it.
Here are some tips:
- Visit the organisation you wish to support, to see if it is good enough to take your own animal there. If it is good enough for your own animal, it is certainly good enough for others.
- Do not just hand over a dog or cat to the owner outside the shelter, go inside the premises to ensure everything is satisfactory.
There are many organisations that save animals but some of them, quite simply, do not have sufficient knowledge, infrastructure, personnel or finances to meet the required standards. Ensure the animals are safe, healthy with up to date medical records, that they are sterilised and vaccinated, and that the living conditions are up to standard.
Here are some questions to ask yourself when visiting an animal shelter:
- Does the organisation have enough staff to care for all the animals, or could it get out of control at some point?
- Does the organisation have a ‘sick bay’ to keep sick animals separate from the healthy ones, or does the owner irresponsibly mix the sick and healthy animals?
- Does the organisation have a veterinarian who regularly visits the animals and keeps records?
- Are there too many animals on the property, in cages, fighting, are the animals stressed or have they adapted well to their environment?
There are many factors to consider when saving animals. Do not become guilty of perpetuating the vicious cycle of animal cruelty because you are taken in by people who are well-dressed and appear to be friendly with animals. Do not just trust a person because you have known them for years and heard that they rescue animals. Maybe you have previously taken animals to them and all was in order but remember, time has passed, circumstances change and perhaps the situation has now got out of control. One person in a house can only handle and care for so many animals and the situation can become uncontrollable very quickly. Do your own research to see if you are satisfied with the conditions before you leave an animal in someone else’s care.
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