Sad story: 190+ cats in Petaluma

[Paul]

   Five years ago a woman purchased a $250,000 home in Petaluma, California for her cats. However, she apparently let the cats breed at will. Last week the police arrested her on animal cruelty charges. So far they have removed 190 cats from the home.

   It's a sad story. Especially since in some way she must have thought she was helping the cats.

   Story 1
   Story 2

   video 1
   video 2

[Pam]

Oh my...another case of someone thinking they were doing good and actually they were creating misery and contributing to the deaths of scores of cats. I don't think any of the other stories that I have read like this are quite on this scale. It is heartbreaking to think of what must have gone on in that house, with cats being killed in fights amongst themselves, etc. let alone living in filth. Too bad that no one followed up on this woman since she had done this in her last house, although not on so grand a scale. Cats might have been saved and she might have gotten the help that she needed. So sad!!!

[Karen]

It's just so, so, so sad, both for the kitties and for the person. Are there psychologists or psychiatrists who specialize in animal "collectors" who might be able to help her? This so clearly demontsrates that it is a problem that crosses boundaries of poverty and wealth - a whole house just for the cats, when spaying, neutering and taking care of the original cats would have been so much less expensive and better for everyone!

[Karen]

Hey Spencer - your first two links don't work anymore! It's just so sad, I can't say that enough.

[Pam]

Karen...they worked for me. Wonder why? Sometimes I just don't understand computers.

[This message has been edited by Karen (edited May 27, 2001).]

[4 feline house]

Karen-the links worked for me!

$250,000 for a house solely for her cats. She says she started out with two, and never bothered to spay them. I don't know about California, but around here $250,000 would spay and neuter anywhere from 3,000 to 8,000 cats!

I had a close friend who was a collector. She had upwards of 40 cats, and I don't remember how many dogs, in her 1,000 sq ft, 3-2-2 home. In order to make attempts to help her, I learned two things - so far what psychiatric care has been attempted has proven this condition to be largely resistant to treatment, and a large portion of these people don't see anything wrong with what they do (my friend Jessie's case) which is the main reason treatment attempts are scarce and largely ineffective.

And who wants to lay bets that there was no "vandal" who broke that window, but someone desperate to get those cats some help?

[Karen]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Pam:
[B]Karen...they worked for me. Wonder why? Sometimes I just don't understand computers.


I knew this'd breed confusion - he had a couple more links when I saw it, one from CNN, and when he read my post, he edited his so the broken links aren't there anymore (which is why I posted.).

[4 feline house]

After looking at Spencer's latest links, I was struck by two things-emotional trauma and hoarders of things. My friend previously mentioned also (1)hoarded things - probably 99% useless junk and trash that she for some reason felt the need to hold on to (and I really mean trash-I was not editorializing-things such as empty coke bottles and such) and (2) her husband killed himself. Previously to that tragic event she was not a hoarder.

[Jasper's Mom]

I know a hoarder, but she has never had a personal tragedy cause her problem. Since a young age this person has kept everything. Things are not packed away, and everything just lays around floor to ceiling everywhere. All her rooms have been an awful sight. The smell in the kitchen was horrible, with piled up dishes and food still on them, and the occasional cat peeing on the mess. The mess has been dug into a bit in the last couple years, by her grown children doing the job. She could not stand to see it piled for pickup and would often drag things back into the house. Since then it gets either hauled away in a rented truck, or is put for bulky item pickup in boxes so it is not visable. Her yard was piled with dozens of broken and rusted bicycles, lawn chairs, and assorted items. Twice I talked her into disposing of the yard junk piles with volunteer help and a couple loads with big trucks. She has brought a lot of animals to her home, but does not lock them in the house, and many cats have run off after a while. The dogs she kept inside used her house as their bathroom. It would lay there for a long time. Stinky, stinky, stinky. Her big two car garage has been filled to the brim since she moved in about 30 years ago, and still is. In this hot and humid weather, things rot quickly, and this garage is truly a trash collection now. When someone is of this mind, it is almost impossible to help them change.

[Jasper's Mom]

I just spent a lot of time, on and off tonight, reading all the animal hoarding links. It is unbelieveable what has happened all over the country. With this new information I realize a person I recently met, who desired extreme sympathy and help from me, is probably an animal hoarder. This person has an animal rescue group, lives way out in the country, is secretive about visitors to the premises, has been in trouble with authorities with legal action and had animals removed. From what I have learned, it seals any doubts I had when I remembered the car. Front passenger and back seat area, filled to the ceiling with empty cat food bags, empty cans and other assorted items, all things that should have been disposed of long ago. And I had felt sorry for this "persecuted" person. Thanks, for now I am wiser.