One of the largest hoarding situations our team has ever witnessed is subject of major operation. RAPS is calling on community for help!

RAPS is engaged in one of the largest operations we have ever undertaken — rescuing scores of kittens and cats from a disastrous hoarding situation.

“We were called by a family member to intervene in a situation where a person with some significant issues had been hoarding cats and kittens in a large townhouse,” says Valerie Wilson, manager of the RAPS Cat Sanctuary and RAPS Adoption Center. “What we discovered was unlike anything most of us had seen in decades of animal welfare work.”

When the rescuers arrived at the home, dozens of cats and kittens scattered like insects. Opening bathroom cupboards, drawers and looking behind appliances, there were kittens and cats everywhere throughout the house. The entire house was festering with urine and feces everywhere and the stench was unbearable. The home has almost no furniture and the frightened kittens were scampering under urine-soaked blankets to hide from the human “intruders.” When our team cold called unannounced, there were no litter boxes and most of the cats were locked in a room with no furniture, surrounded by feces and urine.

“One of the most disturbing aspects of this situation is that not one, but two, animal rescue organizations had intervened in the past, but had not addressed the underlying hoarding situation,” says Wilson. “In both instances, the organizations had removed cats from the premises but left intact cats, resulting in further reproduction and this near-catastrophic situation that has ballooned into dozens of cats and kittens.”

RAPS has already removed about 15 kittens, as well as a nursing mom.

The nursing mom was so unhealthy she couldn’t care for her kittens. One of those kittens was initially thought to have a brain condition, which was discovered to be merely severely low blood sugar. Through bottle-feeding, that kitten is regaining its strength. The mother is under medical care at the RAPS Animal Hospital and we hope for the best.

As RAPS continues this rescue operation, we anticipate upwards of 10 or more pregnant females and as many as 50 or more cats and kittens in total, most of them unsocialized kittens. And RAPS anticipates at least another 20 to 30 kittens to be born, bringing the overall total to upwards of 80.

The cats and kittens have yet to be trapped and brought to the RAPS Animal Hospital for initial observation.

“We are committed to saving this entire colony of unfortunate animals,” Wilson says. “We are deeply disappointed that other organizations were aware of this situation and allowed it to continue to these proportions.” Fortunately, RAPS has Canada’s largest Cat Sanctuary and an adoption centre.

The Regional Animal Protection Society is calling on community supporters to turn this tragedy into a successful rescue operation.

Funding support is desperately needed to provide immediate and ongoing medical care, for all of the animals rescued, as well as socialization and housing for as long as it takes to prepare these animals for a normal, healthy and successful life.

“These cats were locked in rooms with no litter boxes and apparently inadequate food and perhaps no human interaction,” says Eyal Lichtmann, Chief Executive Officer of RAPS. “They are in need of thousands of dollars’ worth of medical and nutritional care.”

Animals are resilient, and we are optimistic that many or most of the kittens we rescue will be able to find forever homes after a period of socialization with experienced fosterers. We will be assessing the personalities and behaviours of the adolescent and adult cats, to see whether they are likely to be socialized and adopted. Fortunately, we operate the RAPS Cat Sanctuary, Canada’s largest, home to hundreds of cats. Any cats from this rescue that are unadoptable will live their lives at the Cat Sanctuary, which is like a ‘Kitty Club Med.’ But all of this costs money.”

RAPS has set up a special fund to support these animals and the ongoing rescue operation. They are calling on the community to support this major undertaking.

RAPS is also seeking experienced cat and kitten fosterers.

“We need to be clear,” says Wilson, “we cannot guarantee that these are all going to be the friendly, bouncy kittens that people might expect. These animals have been through a lot. Many of them are terrified, unfamiliar with humans and are only beginning the process of overcoming the physical and emotional impacts of neglect. The foster homes we are looking for must be experienced, patient and deeply dedicated to providing the one-on-one care these animals need to prepare them for a successful future.”

For more information on fostering, click here.

Donations for this operation are desperately needed and welcomed. Click here to support this rescue.