Kittens/Cats in need of Help in Bellefonte, PA

[Anikaca77]

I'm looking for an organization or someone that will help me catch sick kittens as well as some adult cats that are in a desperate need of a home. These cats are living the worst conditions I've ever seen. They are lying in their own feces. I have contacted PAWS but they are full right now and so is the SPCA (the SPCA won't turn down any animal but if they are full and you drop off an animal there it will be euthanized regardless of how healthy the animal is). If you know of someone who you think might be able to help please have them e-mail me. Most of these cats are just kittens less than 4 months and they need a home. Please let me know if you can help out.

Thanks,

Melissa

[Lizzie]

Good luck with finding an organization who can help you. I know that several long-time PT'ers do rescue work in PA, though I don't know how close they will be to you. At least they may know of some groups that can assist - I certainly hope so. The kitten season here in the PNW seems pretty much as usual with plenty of kittens but a good adoption rate, I don't know why it is so bad in other areas this year.

Does the woman who has these cats on her property regard them as "hers"? Does it bother her that you are taking some of the kittens or doesn't she even notice? Does she think this is the way cats should live?

[Anikaca77]

I have contacted alot of organizations from around the area and they are all full or are having trouble placing the cats they already have.

I have spoken with this woman and she says that I can take as many cats as I can. She said she needs the help, but I don't think she realizes what she is doing to them. I told her to start putting their food in bowls on the other sidewalk area, so that the cat's don't eat their own s**t and pee. The last time I was there, she still didn't have the bowls out with fresh food or water. I know she was a volunteer for PAWS a long time ago so she should know that you can't let cats live like this. Her front porch smells so bad that since she lives up on a little hill you can't see it from the road so I don't think her neighbors complain or they just don't want to get involved.

The last time I was there when I got three more kittens which the total I saved so far is 12 but two passed away, I met a young girl about 12 whose grandmother lives on this same street and she told me that last year there were alot of dead kittens on this womens front lawn and she said nothing was done. I can't believe that no one did anything. It's just such a sad situation.

Melissa

[Lizzie]

So, even though she worked for an animal welfare organization in the past, she isn't getting the cats spayed and neutered? She sounds totally overwhelmed and has reached a point where she feels helpless so there is no point in providing the miminal care for the cats. Or do you think she is suffering from depression which can lead to such a mind-set?

It sounds like the neighborhood in general has decided that "it isn't their problem" and has accepted things, turning their heads away so they don't see the misery. I do hope we can get other people involved so you can get some support and don't have to keep trying to do this alone.

What are your main concers? Having the athorities involved to stop the woman collecting cats? Getting help in scooping up all the cats and getting them to a vet and then into homes? Financial help?

[Anikaca77]

Right she is not providing any medical care to these cats including getting them fixed which would help this problem. She is overwhelmed but she does not seem to realize you can't treat cats like that. There is no reason for it. I haven't spoke with her enough to know if she is suffering from depression, all I know if from what I've heard is that when her daughter and son come to visit her they don't even bother walking threw the front porch; they will go around back to her door. Which has me confused that her son or daughter won’t tell her that she can’t live like that? Yet she also had the nerve to come out of her house to talk with me, walking threw the awful stench and yet holding a cigarette. How can you afford to support your drug habit while these poor cats are walking around in the own feces. It makes me so anger that people can be that oblivious.

My main concerns are of course the welfare of these cats. I have been able to remove most of the sick cats and the first batch I took to Paws even though I knew they were full but they needed medical attention and there was no way I could afford to take care of 9 of the cats myself.

I have contacted the Health Dept. of Spring Twp. which is where she lives and they said if she has trash on her porch they can't do anything about it, if it's on her lawn he could tell her to remove it but as for the cats he can't do anything about it. But I figured if he went there, which I never followed up with him to see if he did go, then she would have moved some of the stuff around her porch or by her steps but yard doesn't look any better. She does have a dog, I've never seen the condition of the dog yet, but it was barking when I was there.

No one to my knowledge has gotten involved in telling this woman she needs to remove the cats from her property or get them fixed.

I had one volunteer who took in three cats into her home and cleaned them up and she is in the process of finding the three kittens a loving home.

Unfortunately there is no financial help; I'm just using the extra time I have to call people and to see if someone is willing to help me find homes for these cats. I even told the one volunteer that if the three kittens were too much for her to handle or she needed help with vet bills to call me, because most places are willing to work out some type of payment arrangement just depending on who you see.

-Melissa

[catmandu]

That is awful that these people think they are helping the Cats.
It makes those of us, who have several Cats guilty by association.
We hope that you can get help, and save as many of those poor Cats as possible.
Good Luck!!!