Hoarding 100 cats, many die in house fire
Nutley, NJ (US)Incident Date: Tuesday, Jan 29, 2008
County: Essex
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Andrea Fera
A cat had plastic melded to its face, while other cats suffered burns on their bodies.
These were just some of the injuries endured by many of the 100 felines discovered in a Nutley home last month after it caught fire.
Approximately 50 of the surviving cats were immediately transported to Dr. George Cameron's veterinary hospital in Montclair for treatment.
"I was shocked and very concerned that these animals would get damaged or injured in the fire, or in the process of being removed from the premises, or go outside and just be lost," Cameron said of hearing the news. "When they came over, they were covered in fire-melted materials. They all had to be bathed, every one of them."
Some cats suffered several injuries, including tissue damage, and debris and soot on their faces. Four felines died from severe lung damage after inhaling significant amounts of smoke.
"It's very heart-rending to see animals come in like that. We had to understand the stress and the fear that these animals just were in, and not add to it," Cameron said. "As veterinarians, that's our role: To provide treatment for them and resolve their fear. They were in fire and smoke, and then they had firemen coming in with their hoses. Could you imagine what it would have been like?"
Hundreds of charges have been reportedly filed against the cats' owner, Andrea Fera, including actions of animal cruelty. Fera had kept more than 100 cats, some of which were dead, in her house.
While Cameron did not discuss the case, he said that Fera "must have treated them nicely, because they have wonderful personalities, with the exception of just a couple. They seem to be pretty well fed and in pretty good condition."
Cameron noted that, depending on the degree of traumatic exposure, the cats' recovery time could take between four days to five weeks.
The Pound Animal Welfare Shelter (PAWS), which Cameron founded in the early 1970s, also has nine of the cats in its care.
"The amount of dedication that Dr. Cameron shows towards rescuing these poor cats was unbelievable," said PAWS Manager Sarah Githens.
For his part, Cameron's hope for the felines is "that they recover from this terrible experience and be placed in loving and responsible homes."
People interested in adopting a cat should contact Janis Lyons of the Cameron Animal Hospital, 417 Bloomfield Ave., 973-744-2025, or PAWS, 77 North Willow St., 973-746-5212. References« NJ State Animal Cruelty Map
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