URGENT!! No kill in Erie, PA is now euthanizing cats... NEEDS HELP!!!

[jennielynn1970]

I think it's a moot point right now...

[bjm]

Everyone, I participated in a transport of 4 of her cats to Noah Cats, in Raynham, MA this past weekend and stayed there Friday night.

She is swamped. She is in chronic pain, which is exhausting. She has difficulty doing some tasks due to the injuries. She is facing further surgeries to correct them. The pain meds she is on make it hard to focus and keep track of things. Her washing machine is giving up the ghost, and the dryer is right behind it - if anybody is replacing an older one, she could use it.

The lack of funds and help have made it impossible to keep up on maintaining the environment in a clean, healthy way and maintaining the grooming of some of the long hair cats (a couple have some bad mats). It is a good thing I am not an animal control officer, a humane investigation officer, nor an adult protective services officer. It is very bad.

More than anything, if you can go there and volunteer any time to help clean, remove old litter, groom cats, etc., she needs the help desparately. One of the cats had been spraying and the walls need to be washed down throughout the upstairs and downstairs apartments.

She also needs donations of newspapers, litter, cleaning supplies, and _water purification tablets_. Yes, her well is contaminated and can't be used for drinking water, so she is using bottled water for herself and the cats.

BTW - I believe any euthanasia is done by a local vet, using IV injection - no gas, no heart stick.

BJM of Columbus, Ohio

[Lizzie]

I thought all the cats were out. How many does she still have, any idea? It's so easy to get swamped, especially when you are constantly pushed to accept other people's responsibilities with no help from the immediate community. I'm sorry that I'm clean across the country and can't help. I'll correspond again with someone on the Pennsylvania community in Best Friends, their rescue was helping - oops! I see you already posted on the old thread for that community.

[jennielynn1970]

That's what I thought!!! I thought all the cats, except a few, were taken care of.

Is she still euthanizing?? I haven't heard back from her at all.

Ugh! I wish I lived closer to Erie!

I feel badly for her, but I wish she'd correspond or call. I'd try to help in any way I could. I'll have to call her again tonight and see what's up.

[heidiv]

I wish I could help....... I really can't I live in Wisconsin......How did this happen?? I thought all of you worked so hard to help this situation. I am just so confused? If we wanted to send some money to help does anyone have any idea how to get it to her or even supplies???? That is the best thing I can do. I really don't want anymore animals killed. With her present condition and the condition of the home does anyone agree this may not be the best place for these animals????? Is there anyone that could help her out?? If she is in a bad way whos to say she isn't unnecessarily euthanizing these animals? For the sake of her and the animals maybe finding a shelter, foster homes ect. might be a better idea?? I don't think allowing her to continue this is going make anything better????

I don't want to sound heartless-- Its just the sad fact it would be best for her and the animals???

[jennielynn1970]

I emailed the one woman who helps run our shelter, and she said she had just talked to her this past thursday, and Kate told her everything was under control.

Apparently, it's not. Or maybe to her it's under control, but to an outside person viewing it, it isn't.

Right now, I'm not sure what to do. I'm waiting to hear from her or from the other woman from our rescue that was communicating with her.

[jennielynn1970]

The lack of funds and help have made it impossible to keep up on maintaining the environment in a clean, healthy way and maintaining the grooming of some of the long hair cats (a couple have some bad mats). It is a good thing I am not an animal control officer, a humane investigation officer, nor an adult protective services officer. It is very bad.

She also needs donations of newspapers, litter, cleaning supplies, and _water purification tablets_. Yes, her well is contaminated and can't be used for drinking water, so she is using bottled water for herself and the cats.

BTW - I believe any euthanasia is done by a local vet, using IV injection - no gas, no heart stick.

BJM of Columbus, Ohio

Couple of questions BJM, if you can answer them...

1. How did the well get contaminated??? She hadn't mentioned that before.

2. IS SHE STILL EUTHANIZING????

3. Did she state to you that everything was under control?? What did she say to you about what she still needs in terms of getting these kitties out?!

4. How many cats are left in the shelter/house??

I'm really concerned about this whole situation. I live about 7hrs away, minimum... I don't have the ability to help out on a daily or weekly basis by going there.

What is she doing to get help??

[heidiv]

What is she doing to get help??

I totally agree we have been told two different stories here???????? I really want to help, I really do.... but by the sounds of it I think the animals need to be removed permanently.If there is no water What is she giving to the animals to drink?????? The animals should be removed for sure!!! They are being mistreated....... No food no water?????

[jennielynn1970]

"Forgotten Cats and New Jersey Rescues the Felines is taking all of them
on Feb. 9 and 10. I will be posting a transport at that time. Thanks for
caring. Kate "

[heidiv]

Awesome Job!!!! Can I find these shelters on Pet Finder? I am going to look into donating to these shelters. Thank You so much for all of the info.

[bjm]

As far as numbers of animals, Kate told me she wanted to keep 9 of the older animals which are otherwise unadoptable. Jen_librarian posted that 6 are to be transported in February. I didn't really take the time to count, but 9 animals is still a lot to care for (I have 9 in my home). Even if the transport works out (I was supposed to take 6, and took 4 - 1 was sick and the health papers on 1 were misplaced), the place still needs a major scrub down. Plus, there are a slew of outdoor cats - ferals and dumpees - which she feeds, tries to get altered, and doesn't take in. If she loses the house, those will be left with no one.

She has a WELL, not city water. Wells require regular maintenance and monitoring to ensure they are safe to use. Although she has a chlorination system, it is not killing off all the bacteria. Therefore, she is using BOTTLED WATER for herself and the cats for drinking. No one is going thirsty. She can also boil the water for 10 minutes to make it safe to drink.

She has been able to keep the animals well fed; none of them are starving, many of them are actually a bit overweight (been there, done that - its hard to control the diets when you have multiple animals and only some need weight reduction!)

Because folks are starting to take her animals, I don't think she is euthanizing right now. She really doesn't want to do that. And she is very attached to the animals she has; it is very hard for her to let go. Just imaging if you had to give up your animals; it is so painful to lose them.

I e-mailed her after returning to Columbus, thanking her for letting me stay there overnight. I can't drive at night or I would've left to find a hotel, as I have asthma and the air quality was awful. Then I let her know that she is not keeping up on the care of the animals and that I would try to find some resources for her. She has not responded (yet), possibly because it is hard to hear that you are not doing OK. She may be so accustomed to the situation, she isn't aware of the problems.

If you want to ship something to her (too big for the PO Box), the address is 5056 Route 215, East Springfield, Pa 16411. Instructions should specify to leave boxes on the doorstep as she doesn't have a car at this time (hers was totaled in the accident). A bag of sensitive stomach cat food or a bag of clay litter (not clumping) would be very helpful.

BJM

[Lizzie]

Thank you for the update. I've been wondering and worrying about both Kate and her rescue. Do you think that someone from one of the rescues that is taking her cats will be allowed to work with her on giving her home a better environment? I mean, that Kate will be willing to take more advice and help? It seems that she wanted help to reduce the numbers but she's rather averse to more interference - does that sound right? Those of us who take on more cats than we really should need friends that are not "in the business" who will tell us when a home is not as well-kept as it should be. I have a friend who used to be a "nose" in the perfume industry and she can be a very harsh critic. Perhaps Kate does not have such a friend.

I'm concerned that with more space in the house, she will feel that she can now bring in the outside cats that she is taking care of at present. And, of course, it won't be long before more cats are dumped on her doorstep. Sigh!

[bjm]

She should receive them in 3-5 days.

1 bag sensitive stomach
1 bag kitten chow (the outdoor cats need the calories to stay warm)
1 bag Exquisicat litter
1 gallon Nature's miracle

BJM

[lovelabs]

Wow. A friend informed me about this site. First I want to say how touched I am by all of your concern for these Erie cats. And I enrolled in this forum because I wanted you to know that I helped organize getting 17 of these cats transported down to Delaware a few weeks ago to go to local rescue. Of those 17, 6 went to a cat rescue organization in New Jersey; Taffeta, St. Ives, Christy and Pilgrim were adopted out by rescue volunteers whom I know, and the remainder went to Delaware Humane Association. Some of the cats were longhair but a majority were shorthair. All of the cats were very affectionate, clean, healthy, current on shots, and obviously well cared for and loved. I have had numerous conversations with Kate in the last 3 weeks. She's a very caring person who fell on hard times. The timing was right for us, space wise, so we decided to jump in and help her out when we first heard about her plea. If any of you have been frustrated with not being able to get ahold of Kate, keep in mind that this has been a very stressful time for her, giving up the cats she has grown to love and become attached to. It was an especially emotional time for her when our volunteer arrived at Kate's house to pick up 17 of these cats a few weeks ago. We have made it a point to send her updates on the cats were have down here in Delaware, still awaiting adoption. We have committed to take any remaining cats she wants to release to us, and are actually arranging another transport to occur in a few weeks. If anyone wants to help, please focus your energies on helping Kate, not on sending donations down here to Delaware. It is true that vets in Erie do not cut rescues any breaks. She owes a lot of money to area veterinarians and to her own doctors to cover her medical expenses resulting from the accident, and household expenses.
Kate is keeping a few cats - mainly her pets that she brought down here when she moved from California, and a few older cats with special needs that would be too traumatized if moved to a new family.
We have established a good repore with Kate and hope to be able to keep in touch with her after this next transport to make sure the careless cat owners in Erie don't continue to overwhelm her with dumped cats. She's a really nice person with a huge heart for cats who didn't deserve to have this accident shatter her dreams and goals. Hopefully by joining together, we all can help her get back on her feet.

Charlotte

[Catty1]

What would be the best way to donate some funds for her?

Are the media aware of this story? Sometimes that can bring a lot of help for a person.

Bless you for helping and staying in touch with her!

{{{HUGS}}}