40 cats and kittens surrendered to BC SPCA
Posted June 25, 2019 12:41 pm.
Last Updated June 25, 2019 9:36 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Forty kittens and cats have been surrendered to the BC SPCA after the animals were found living among garbage and feces at a property in Vancouver.
The BC SPCA says it was called to a Vancouver home after getting a tip from someone concerned about the number of cats living there.
When an Animal Protection Officer went to the property, they found the cats didn’t have access to water, there was bad ventilation, and high levels of ammonia from urine. They found some kittens so covered in fleas they were anemic.
“The owners did the right thing by surrendering these cats as it was clear that the situation had gotten out of control for everyone involved,” the BC SPCA’s Lorie Chortyk says. “Animal hoarding is considered a mental health disorder that causes suffering for both humans and animals.”
The BC SPCA has charged the owner in the past, and will be recommending charges again in this case.
“It’s from an individual who is known to us,” Chortyk says. “We’ve dealt with her before. It’s a hoarding situation and just a really sad situation where an individual becomes overwhelmed by a very large number of animals they’ve taken in.”
The cats and kittens are being cared for at foster homes and shelters across the Lower Mainland until they are ready for adoption, which Chortyk says won’t be for a while.
“They’re a bit fearful of people. That’s quite common in hoarding cases where they’re very comfortable with other animals because they’re used to being in large groups of animals. Right now they’re in foster homes and they’re getting socialized to the point where we’ll be able to put them up for adoption.”
