From Hillside SPCA:
Sixty cats, many blind -- 10 dead and more dying -- abandoned in a home and living in three inches of feces, without food or water -- this is what Hillside staff and rescuers found when they responded to a call from the landlord of a rental property in Auburn, PA, on Friday.
From information the neighbors can supply, a woman lived in the property with her deceased mother's cats, but abandoned them sometime last week leaving a note saying she couldn't care for them. The landlord had investigated when neighbors remarked they didn't see footprints to or from the house after a recent snowstorm. Upon finding the horrendous conditions, Hillside SPCA was contacted for assistance.
Becky Moyer, feline manager, believes the blindness many are suffering with is due to being kept in rooms where the windows were blocked from allowing in light. The shelter immediately supplied food and water, then started the rescue effort, removing some cats on Friday and continuing to remove and rescue more throughout the weekend.
Although it is believed the woman left the property and the cats a week or so ago, the condition of the animals shows clear evidence of extended neglect, with some being literally "skin and bones." Several of the animals were in such bad condition, they were humanely euthanized to end their suffering.
State Police have tracked the woman down and she will be facing cruelty to animal citations.
Sadly, this is not the first time -- and will not be the last time -- the Hillside has encountered animal hoarders and the wake of destruction they leave. The cost for this rescue can't have a price tag put on its head. The loss of life of these precious animals is only the tip of the iceberg. Starvation is a horrid, wretched, agonizing way to die -- and so many of these cats died that way. The abandonment by an owner causes fear and trauma that many times can't be easily, if ever, overcome.
The Hillside is already bursting at the seams with unwanted animals, now dozens more have decended on an already overcrowded facility. And not only the animals suffer physically and emotionally -- taking part in a rescue like this, seeing the pain and suffering these animals endured, and having to deal with the guilt and sadness torments rescuers. It can become overwhelming, dealing with the grief over the ones that cannot be helped. The hours are long and taxing, the conditions aren't fit for any living creature to be in, whether 2- or 4-legged, and the work feels endless.
There is initial care and triage, transportation to the shelter and veterinarians for those who need it. There is food and water, a warm bed and a hug for each and every one that comes through the door.
The budget is strained with all these extra animals needing help, the vet bills pile up quickly, and there are still the "regular" ones -- both already at the shelter and coming through the door in an endless stream -- who need attention, food, medical care, and love, too.
Please keep these animals in your prayers tonight. And if you can, won't you please send a donation -- whatever your budget will allow -- to help defray the high monetary cost of rescues like this latest in Auburn. We need you now more than ever.
Bless you, Lori -- Web Manager/List Manager
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