"The Cat Lady"

[lizzielou742]

http://news.bostonherald.com/localRe...rticleid=46525

Just what she needs: More kitties! Cat lady sues to clone

By J.M. Lawrence

Wednesday, September 29, 2004

Cat Lady Heidi Erickson wants to clone her doomed colony of 42 ringworm-ravaged Persians before the state euthanizes and incinerates them, according to court papers.

Erickson argues she has the right to collect the precious DNA she spent years breeding in her champion pack and is still battling to save their lives against the Department of Agriculture's August declaration that the cats pose a public health hazard.

"Why is the state doing this? Why is everything so against saving these cats?'' the cat breeder asked yesterday after winning another reprieve for the cats until Oct. 15 so she can appeal a judge's refusal to stop their euthanasia.

Superior Court Justice John C. Cratsley rejected Erickson's claims of "heightened property interest'' in keeping her animals alive for DNA collection and refused to reconsider his earlier ruling backing state officials' power to wipe out the colony.

The cats were seized in May 2003 from Erickson's former home in Watertown and are held in quarantine at the Animal Rescue League's Pembroke shelter. Ten of her seized Persians have already died, she says.

The league's vets contend the remaining cats aren't responding to treatments for ringworm and are too sick to handle any more drugs. In court papers, the league says it has spent more than $600,000 to care for the animals.

Animal cruelty charges are still pending against Erickson over the 60 dead cats seized from her Beacon Hill home.

-----------------------------------------

WW


Other articles about her:

September 8th

September 10th

Her website: http://www.cat-lady.org/

She sounds deeply disturbed to me. She's no breeder, she's a hoarder. Wonder what Boston's Animal Rescue League has to say about this. Also - where the heck would she find someone to clone her cats?!

For $600,000, you could spay and neuter 6,000+ cats.

[QueenScoopalot]

GRRRR..I can't even comment on this local (to me) nutcase right now! She has tied up so many courtrooms, tormented so many animals (not to mention an elderly man)...ARGHHH!! I'll read this all tomorrow. Too tired right now to get all aggravated by this jack*** tonight.

[lizzielou742]

Oops, sorry, QSA!!

I just heard about it all today.

[leslie]

heidi is a nut but I do question the Animal Rescue Leagues decision to put down her cats due to "untreatable" ringworm. They are too sick? Ringworm doesn't make cats sick- there is something very wrong with this story.....(as usual.)
Does anyone know if seized animals medical information is public information? Everytime Jan and I were at the Boston branch of Animal Rescue League, and asked about her cats they'd say they aren't allowed to talk about it. (But one of them did leak out that they all had ringworm so the entire Pembroke branch was closed to adoptions- where her cats are). I would really like to know for what they were treated and with what. Again, she may be a nut but I don't trust all vets and those kill shelters either. They ARE a kill shelter.