Another cat hoarder---really bad this time
Posted on Fri, Jun. 17, 2005
Woman fits profile of cat hoarder
BY LILLY ROCKWELL
The Wichita Eagle
They're called animal hoarders.
It's a disorder that experts say is largely ignored. People who have it compulsively collect animals, often with disregard for the health needs of their pets.
State and city animal officials say an elderly Wichita woman appears to be a textbook example.
The police were called to a home in the 3300 block of West Eighth Street on Wednesday after neighbors reported a terrible stench.
When they entered the home, they found more than 50 cats, some in cages, some crawling inside the walls. Some were dead.
The inside of the home was like a giant litter box, with cat feces and trash everywhere, inspectors said.
City and state officials spent hours on Wednesday and Thursday at the home, trying to capture the cats. Some were hiding in ceiling rafters, and animal control officials had to set traps Thursday to try to lure them out.
The woman who owns the house hadn't been home for days. Because of a broken hip, neighbors said, she was at a health care facility.
When she came back briefly Wednesday, she was told her cats had to go. Housing officials put an orange notice on her door, prohibiting her from going inside for an indefinite period.
The cats are being taken to a state animal shelter in Great Bend, officials said. Many of them are sick and need time to heal. Some might not make it.
The woman, 76, will have a hearing to determine whether she's allowed to have some of her cats back.
The rest, if they are healthy, will be offered for adoption. As of Thursday afternoon, more than 40 had been captured.
Neighbors said they were shocked the woman kept so many cats. She was described as a nice lady who they thought kept the cats to try to sell them.
Attempts to contact her Thursday were unsuccessful.
Debra Duncan, the director for the state's animal facility inspection program, said animal hoarders are "caregiver" types who want to help animals, but many times it gets out of hand.
"Cat hoarders will sometimes step over dead animals and not even realize they're there," Duncan said. "It's sad because they don't realize what the conditions are."
After the police saw how many cats were in the home, and with the homeowner gone, they called Wichita's animal control department for help. The city in turn called the state's animal health department, where Duncan works.
In cases as severe as this, the state is called in to help, said Dennis Graves, animal control supervisor for Wichita. He said the "initial head count of the cats was 57."
A city ordinance prohibits people from keeping more than two adult dogs or cats in a home, unless a special permit is obtained.
Duncan travels throughout Kansas helping cities collect cats or dogs and then taking them to state shelters. She said that in her 11 years with the state, she's "never seen anything like this."
"It's really, really nasty," she said.
Duncan had to wear special protective gear and use bug spray to walk into the home. She brought cages and traps with her from Topeka.
Duncan came back to the home Thursday, armed with a warrant letting the woman know that she had violated state law. But by then, the woman had left, neighbors said, and no one knew where to find her.
Her door was unlocked.
Many people keep large numbers of cats or dogs illegally, Duncan said. Some are trying to make money from breeding.
She said the elderly and people with bad health or financial difficulties are particularly susceptible to pet hoarding problems.
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Reach Lilly Rockwell at 268-6404 or [email protected].
