“Come in,” the woman said. “I have some cats.”
Lee walked into an upstairs bedroom and was shocked to see 17 Persian cats living in one room. The homeowner volunteered to have the cats removed from her residence, Lee said.
So on Sunday, about a dozen volunteers from Joseph’s Legacy removed the cats and had them treated for serious illnesses at All About Pet Care in Middletown and Monroe Family Pet Hospital. One of the cats, Angel, 15, was euthanized because of the severity of his worms and fleas, said Dr. Laura Arington, veterinarian at All About Pet Care.
The other 16 cats, after being treated for their injuries, were successfully placed in foster care, Lee said. One of the cats had an eye removed. She estimated the cost of the treatments at $400 per cat, or $6,400 for all 16 cats.
Krista Snyder, director of Joseph’s Legacy, said it was unclear whether the woman was breeding the Persian cats, which can be sold for hundreds of dollars. After she surrendered the cats, she also donated all her cat supplies and cages, Snyder said.
Kurt Merbs, Butler County assistant dog warden supervisor, said his office did not know about the emergency cat removal until he read about in on social media. He said his office could have taken photos and gathered evidence if a criminal case was pursued. But that can’t be done since the felines were removed and treated, he said.
“The concern is that if they were truly hording cats and had a cat mill, there are no consequences for their actions because they got off easy this time,” Merbs said.
On Tuesday, there were three cats from the emergency removal at All About Pet Care. An 8-month-old girl named Snow White, and Miles and Charles, two boys, possibly brothers. Snow White weighs three pounds, about two pounds lower than her healthy weight, said Kara Goheen, practice manager.
Goheen tossed a few toys into an exam room, and Snow White grabbed one of them and hide until a table.
“I don’t think she even knew what a toy was for,” Goheen said, shaking her head. “She’s happy now.”
Lee said the cats have “a wonderful future.”
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