On January 29, BC SPCA animal protection officers visited a property in the Fraser Valley after the BC SPCA had been alerted to cats living in horrible conditions.
“The ammonia odour was so strong it permeated the air outside the home,” says Matt Affleck, Senior Director, Animal Protection Services. “When we went inside, it was far worse than we imagined. We found 17 cats in dog crates, all in distress living in appalling conditions. It appeared they had been abandoned.”
As they made their way further into the home, the situation became even more disturbing. “We went into the bedroom of the home where it appeared the cats had at one time been housed. The room was saturated with urine and feces,” says Affleck. “Further investigation revealed the remains of three cats.”
Inside the home’s garage, animal protection officers found a heavier crate with a padlock on it. Inside this crate they found the body of a dead puppy. “We didn’t really think it could get much worse, but this certainly was another moment of heartbreak for our animal protection officers. This really is one of the most difficult and troubling cases in recent memory.”
Affleck says some of the crates had as many as eight cats living in them. “The flooring of the crates was completely covered in feces and urine. The cats were huddled together in the corner. It was so bad when we were removing the cats from the crates to place them in clean carriers, we noticed urine dripping off their fur. When officers tried to move the crates, they appeared to be stuck to the floor by all the waste.”
Affleck adds the cats were fearful. “One of the saddest parts of this investigation is simply how shut down these cats were from everything they had experienced and were living through,” he says. “They tried to be vocal, but their resistance was short-lived and it seemed like they just gave up. I hope it was because they knew they were being helped, but I think they just were so traumatized they had no more fight left in them.”
Affleck adds all the cats were very thin and dehydrated. “There was no food or water present, we have no idea when they were last fed.”
Due to their poor condition, the cats were immediately brought to the nearest veterinary clinic to be triaged. “We were happy to hear that they did well during their examination and started cleaning themselves, which is a good sign,” says Affleck.
Once the cats were cleared for transport by the veterinarian, they were brought to a BC SPCA animal centre where a team of veterinarians were waiting to provide further medical care.
Affleck says the animal centre staff noted a pungent odour on the cats when they arrived, “This team cares for rescued cats frequently, but these poor cats were the worst case they had ever experienced. One cat had a large piece of feces stuck to the end of his tail.” All the cats required baths and shaving to remove the caked on fecal matter, mats, and urine staining.
There were only three cats that did not require a veterinarian supervised feeding plan to help them safely gain weight. BC SPCA staff provided six small meals throughout the day for each cat and monitored them closely for refeeding syndrome. “Although most of the cats were initially fearful, they came around when they realized they were being fed consistently,” says Affleck.
One of the cats was identified as having possible pyometra, a serious and life-threatening infection of the uterus, on her initial veterinary exam, so she was scheduled for an emergency spay the day after arriving in the BC SPCA’s care.
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Sadly, three of the cats, a kitten and two adult cats, tested positive for panleukopenia or feline distemper, a highly contagious viral disease. They were humanely euthanized to relieve their suffering. The remainder of the cats were quarantined for two-weeks and monitored for symptoms.
The cats were cleared by the veterinarian and made available for adoption starting on February 13. Happily, all but four of the cats have found forever homes.
The BC SPCA will be recommending animal cruelty charges to Crown Counsel.
If you can help these cats and other animals in the BC SPCA’s care, visit spca.bc.ca/donations-emergency-rescue.
