Cats from Humane Investigations Case Need HELP!

Jason Cook

Cats from Humane Investigations Case Need HELP!

 Cleveland, OH (February 13, 2015) – Just over 2 weeks ago, the Cleveland APL lead an animal rescue operation at The Cat Crossing, a shelter on West 25th Street. While this is still an ongoing humane investigation, we are releasing all of the information about the situation that we are able to at this time.

After receiving a complaint from a concerned citizen about a lack of sanitation and substandard conditions for the animals at the shelter a little over 2 weeks ago, our Humane Investigators visited the facility. When denied access to all areas of the shelter, they had to return with a search warrant. They found several very sick cats that had to be taken to the APL for immediate veterinary care. Tests on those animals revealed a high incidence of serious, highly contagious diseases. As all of the cats had been allowed to comingle, the ongoing risk of disease transmission to cats that may have been healthy when they arrived was extremely high. Out of concern for the cats, the Cleveland APL returned with another warrant, and in all, has taken in 147 cats from this situation. Our amazing and deeply compassionate team worked until the wee hours of the morning testing, vaccinating, treating for worms and fleas, and setting them up in individual housing so they could start to receive the care they needed.

This past Wednesday, the court confirmed that Cleveland APL Humane Investigators had probable cause to impound the animals, and today, the Cleveland APL was awarded custody of the cats.

For more than two weeks, our team has provided these animals with loving care. Approximately 75% of the cats are sick and being treated for conditions like upper respiratory, ear, eye, and/or oral infections. At least 30% have extensive dental disease that will require dental procedures under sedation. Several of the cats will require other surgeries. They have all been exposed to feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), feline leukemia virus (FeLV), and feline giardia. We estimate the costs associated with this investigation will be in the 10’s of thousands of dollars … and this is on top of the care the rest of our animals still require.

How to help!

Since we receive no government funding for operations, the Cleveland Animal Protective League relies on donations from our supporters to make a difference in the lives of the animals for whom we shelter, rescue, and provide assistance. Please consider making a donation to our Second Chance Fund to help with the care of these animals. A donation can be made by visiting: www.ClevelandAPL.org/donate/help-now.

We also desperately need adopters for these cats, so please contact us at (216) 771-4616, ext. 0 to learn more about their needs. Even adopting a cat who wasn’t a part of this case will help!