Hoarding 63 cats
Delmont, SD (US)Incident Date: Tuesday, Aug 12, 2003
County: Douglas
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Barb Ramsdell
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
A Douglas County woman could face charges after authorities hauled away dozens of sick and dying cats from her home. Tuesday afternoon, animal control officers took over 60 cats from the home. They lived in filthy conditions and were starving. Some are so sick, they won't survive.
Officers took the cats, most of them Persians, from a home in Douglas County today after someone called in a tip.
Rosey Quinn with Animal Control says, "We went to the residence, knocked on the door. She came to the door, we explained why we were there. She allowed us entry into the home. Upon entry, we seen all the cats."
There was a total of 64 cats, many living inside the house. Most of them are thin and have fleas, parasites, and breathing problems because they lived in home where the litter boxes hadn't been changed in months.
Quinn says, "There is no way I can even describe, there is no way we can even describe the smell. It was that bad."
But the owner claims she cares about the cats. She even wrote each cat's name on a crate as they were hauled away.
"I believe she was a collector. She truly loved the animals, she made that very clear to us today. In situations like this they don't realize that they are not actually taking care of the animal. They think loving them is enough."
The Humane Society has already had to put down some of the kittens because they were too sick to save. The middle aged woman signed over the cats to animal control today, but the State's Attorney is looking into the case and is considering pressing charges against her.
Case UpdatesDozens of cats taken from a home in Delmont are getting rescued a second time. Last month, the Sioux Falls Humane society rescued over 60 cats, most of them Persians, from a woman in Douglas County. Thursday, those cats were rescued again by foster families who want to give them the life they deserve.
When 63 cats were taken by the Sioux Falls Humane Society, nearly every cat had breathing problems, ring worm, and eye infections. A few didn't survive. Rosey Quinn says, "This rescue will go down in history. This is the biggest cat one that I've done where they've been in such bad conditions health wise."
Now, the cats are almost completely recovered and ready to take a trip. Volunteers are picking up many of the Persians and taking them to foster homes in Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Judy Bloch says, "We're taking as many cats as we can fit into the van. We've taken out all the seats and borrowed carriers. We've got about 20 carriers or so in the van."
Judy Bloch is one of the volunteers with a Persian cat rescue club in Minnesota. They pick up cats in need, take them to foster homes, and get them ready for adoption. Bloch says, "We fatten them up and love them up. We get them healthy and happy and get a new home from them and adopt them out. It's really great."
This rescue group took over 20 cats Thursday, 15 others were taken to Kansas City last week by another rescue club.
Quinn says, "Our goal is always to get them out of the environment, to get them back to good health, and get back into a better environment and we've totally succeeded in this case."
A few cats will stay in Sioux Falls and get adopted out here. The cats owner, Barb Ramsdell, faces charges for inhumane treatment of animals. She signed all of the cats over to the Humane Society. | Source: Keloland Television - September 4, 2003
Update posted on Nov 27, 2007 - 2:42AM |
Animal control officers say the smell was so bad, there is no way to describe it. Tuesday, they walked into a Douglas County home to find cats in cages and a layer of feces lining the floor. A few of the 64 animals were too sick to survive the night. But now, many of the cats are improving.
Some of the animals have now been seen by a veterinarian, so we're learning more about their conditions and their owner's state of mind. She's what Animal Control Officers call a "collector."
"I know there was probably close to 45 cats in the house, we found 19 out in the back in the shed," says Rosie Quinn with Animal Control.
Quinn says the woman who took care of the 64 animals didn't think she was doing anything wrong. "She just kind of felt that there was no problem. She loved them, she fed them. You know, so."
She even named them. But she didn't take them to the vet.
"They've all got severe upper respiratory infection, they've got ear mites, they've got fleas," says Quinn.
Three kittens were so sick they couldn't survive the night. The rest are so dirty, they need be shaved.
"We're going to try to save as many as we can," says Quinn.
For now, the rescued cats will stay in a crowded garage, so their sickness doesn't spread. It may not look like much, but the new home is much nicer than what these cats are used to. Their cages are clean and someone is taking care of them.
"It appears that their eyes have started to clear up a little bit just being out of that environment and into a clean air environment, so that's a good sign," says Quinn.
Since the woman doesn't face any charges at this point, we don't know her name. She signed over the cats. That the Humane Society has to come up with money to pay for medication, food and litter. | Source: Keloland Television - Aug 13, 2003
Update posted on Nov 27, 2007 - 2:41AM |
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