38 cats abandoned - left in freezing temperature
Edenfield, EN (UK)Date: Nov 29, 2005
Disposition: Open
Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!
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38 cats dumped on a snow-covered country lane in sub-zero temperatures were discovered just hours before they would have frozen to death.
The animals, crammed into 14 carriers, were found a third of a mile away from Edenfield's Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary at 8.30am on November 29, 2005 after being left overnight in freezing conditions at the side of the road.
A sanctuary staff member made the discovery only because snow had forced him to abandon his car and walk the remainder of the way to Bleakholt.
All the cats had clear signs of neglect and were riddled with worms and fleas, while two have more serious neglect-related conditions. One with a golf ball-size cyst attached to its ear has undergone surgery. Bleakholt manager Neil Martin said: "If the staff member had been able to drive straight to the sanctuary, the cats would not have been found and they would have been dead by lunchtime. They would have had a slow death through hypothermia."
Mr Martin said this was the largest, single case of animal dumping he had come across in 15 years. "I have a theory, based on experience, that an elderly lady died and her family came to deal with her estate and found she had a colony of cats. In her terms, she would have said she loved them dearly but we'd say there had clearly been neglect. "I strongly suspect that the people who dumped them weren't responsible for the cats but embarrassed by their condition.
"But to leave these animals to freeze outside when the temperature was minus three degrees was in itself cruelty. They compounded the problem.
"The 14 cat carriers were brand new and would have cost around �15 each. Therefore, someone was prepared to spend a fair amount of money. But instead of dumping the cats, they should have telephoned us and we would have gone down."
The abandoned animals are undergoing medical treatment before being found new homes.
Bleakholt has more than 200 cats in residence and this is a slow time of the year for finding new owners.
Anyone who can offer homes for the cats should contact Bleakholt on 08700 620530. References« Back to Search Results Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges. For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.
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