The Gross Pointe Woods Hoarding Case

On August 4, 2012, Mid-Michigan Cat Rescue (MMCR) confiscated 75 cats from a home in Grosse Pointe Woods, MI. 39 cats were found in the house and 36 cats were shut in a non-ventilated garage. The outside temperature reached 90 degrees and the temperature inside the garage reached approximately 110 degrees. In looking at the outside of the garage, two legs and a tail were visible at the top of the garage door. A cat had been able to wedge itself there in order to cool off part of its body and gasp for fresh air. In looking at this with the owner, she stated, "That is how I got caught."  Upon entering the two-car garage, the stench was overwhelming. Cats were overhead in the rafters and tucked behind walls and debris. Further inspection revealed a kitten who was just hours old in the middle of the floor, covered in filth and barely moving. A second kitten of the same age was found; this one had deep puncture wounds from an attack from an adult cat. None of the cats had been altered. All of the cats were wild and completely untouchable. When the garage was cleaned out later that day, another litter of three-month old kittens were found. The house itself had feces, urine, litter, and old food throughout it. It was filled with household debris and clutter making it difficult to move around. The cats in the house were also unaltered and wild. Upon inspection, a litter of 4-week-old kittens was found under a household mattress; the owner was not aware of their existence. Due to the dangerous nature of the situation, every cat had to be captured with a catch pole. This was a very stressful, laborious, and dangerous process for the volunteers of Mid-Michigan Cat Rescue. It was also highly stressful for the cats. The cats were running around the stifling garage, climbing the walls and clinging onto the rafters. As the temperature reached unbearable levels in the garage, cats were panting and were close to immediate collapse. Two cats died after capture as a result of the culmination of years of captivity in awful conditions, heat exhaustion, and the stress of the capture.    The physical condition of the cats was appalling. The cats were infested with fleas; this produced severe anemia as evidenced by white gums. Many of the cats had open wounds on their faces and necks due to the constant scratching. The cats' internal parasite infestation was so severe that they were emaciated. Several cats had large bald patches due to allergic reactions and it was discovered that all of the female cats had already had multiple litters and were pregnant yet again. Due to the secluded environment, these cats were subject to severe inbreeding that resulted in many physical and mental issues.  Mid-Michigan Cat Rescue is a non-profit, no-kill organization that will take care of many of these cats for the rest of their lives. Most of them will be integrated into their feral cat colony on a 70-acre farm, where they will have fresh air and be able to feel the grass under their paws - two things that weren't available to them in them former home. The kittens and a few of the semi-feral cats can be socialized and will be put up for adoption. MMCR took on this hoarding case in the middle of kitten season when they were already at maximum capacity at all foster homes.   Thanks to community assistance, MMCR will be able to spay/neuter, vaccinate, de-worm, and have full medical visits done for every cat. To learn more about the Mid-Michigan Cat Rescue, please go to mmcr.petfinder.com. If you know of a hoarding situation, please contact your local authorities immediately. Your timing could save the lives of many animals that are in desperate need of help.  To contribute to MMCR's rescue efforts, please click on the PayPal button below or send a personal check or money order to:  Mid-Michigan Cat Rescue 1117 Tulip Street Grand Ledge, MI 48837 The kitties and I thank you for your help! Sarah Vicary

Hoarding Case: Raccoons!

Thursday, August 16th, 2012 the Albion MMCR house was overrun with volunteers helping to accommodate all the cats recovered from the hoarding case on the state's east side.

There was an assembly line set up to transfer all the male rescues from their temporary holding area in the basement to the first floor, where they were checked over, given all needed shots, numbered, tagged and had paperwork completed. Then the groggy males were passed to Dr. Joe's medical team where they were neutered and partially-revived before becoming a proud member of MMCR's feral cat community on a 70+ acre farm.

This is where I come in. My assignment for the day was to transport the carriers to the barn holding room (everybody has to have a skill) prior to their release later in the day. Another volunteer and I went in earlier in the morning to clean and sweep, when he noticed a pair of raccoons in an igloo-style dog house in the holding room. In looking around we also saw several more on a high shelf in the opposite corner of the room.

Now, this isn't a large open barn but a walled-off section about 20'x15' with one window, one door and no lights. Guess who can see better than we can. We continued to finish cleaning the room and decided to leave the cats in their carriers in the barn until someone came up with a solution for the raccoons.

Once all 36 cats had been transferred to the barn, it was time to kick some raccoon butt.

My thoughts were: steel-toed boots, Stihl 9 layer protective chain-saw clothing, heavy gloves, drugs from Dr. Joe (split 50-50 between me and the raccoons), and-- if MMCR has it-- a small tactical nuclear weapon.

I went back up to the house to see what was available from Sarah. She grabbed a 4 foot animal snare and said, "Follow me".

We went back to the barn and she proceeded to catch the two in the igloo with the snare and turned her attention to the high shelf.  She wasn't tall enough to reach up there so she grabbed a flimsy plastic shelf and jumped on it (if OHSA could see her now) and snared 5 more raccoons. My help consisted of holding a shovel, figuring I'd get one shot if one got out of the snare. The barn was now cleared and we could get the cats into the holding room.

Oh, did I mention she did all this barefoot, in blue jeans and a tie-dyed MMCR t-shirt? 

I got schooled yesterday on raccoons and I am impressed.

Hoarding Case! MMCR To The Rescue!

On August 4, 2012, Mid-Michigan Cat Rescue confiscated 75 cats from Grosse Pointe Woods, MI.  39 cats were in the house and 36 cats were shut in the non-ventilated garage.

The outside temperature reached 95 degrees and the temperature inside the garage reached approximately 110 degrees. In looking at the outside of the garage, two legs and a tail were visible at the top of the garage door. A cat had been able to wedge itself there in order to cool off part of its body. In looking at this with Ms. Qu, she stated “That is how I got caught.”

Upon entering the two-car garage, the stench of urine and feces was overwhelming. Inspection revealed urine, feces, and dirt coating every surface. Cats were overhead in the rafters and tucked behind walls and debris. Further inspection revealed a kitten who was just hours old in the middle of the floor, covered in filth and barely moving. A second kitten of the same age was found; this one had deep puncture wounds from an attack from an adult cat. The legs of a third kitten were found; the rest had been eaten. Both kittens later died. None of the cats had been altered.  All of the cats were wild and completely untouchable.

The house itself had feces, litter, and old food throughout it. It was filled with household debris and clutter making it difficult to move around. The cats in the house were also unaltered and wild. Upon inspection, a litter of 4 week old kittens was found under a household mattress. Ms. Q was not aware of their existence.

Due to the dangerous nature of the situation, every cat had to be captured with a catch pole. This was a very stressful, laborious, and dangerous process for the volunteers of Mid-Michigan Cat Rescue. It was also highly stressful for the cats. The cats were running around the stifling garage, climbing the walls and clinging onto the rafters. As the temperature reached unbearable levels in the garage, cats were panting and were close to immediate collapse.  Two cats died after capture as a result of the culmination of years of captivity in awful conditions, heat exhaustion, and the stress of the capture.

The conditions of the garage were such that we had anticipated multiple bodies after a long hot summer, but found none. Female cats can have 2-3 litters per year; we should have found many more litters.  Ms. Quinn had been taking debris out of the garage prior to our arrival.

The physical condition of the cats was appalling. The cats were infested with hundreds of fleas; this produced severe anemia as evidenced by white gums. Many of the cats had open wounds on their faces and necks due to the constant itching. The cats’ internal parasite infestation was so severe that they were emaciated.  Several cats had large bald patches due to allergic reactions.

At the end of the day, as we were preparing to leave, Ms. Q commented to MMCR’s director “I’ll be in contact with you again after I have re-stocked.”

Volunteering at Sarah's House

Last Wednesday I was able to help out for a few hours at Sarah's house in Albion. It was my first time volunteering there, so I really didn't know what to expect. The only information I had was that Sarah currently had 70+ kittens and was struggling to find enough time to work on social skills with all of them. Since I had just started fostering a little kitten rescued from a feral mother in my neighborhood, I thought I might pick up few techniques which would help me at home. On this particular day I received way more than I could have imagined... I was able to witness a miracle! A mother cat had just given birth to 3 kittens that morning. Sarah came in to check on the kittens and took one out of the cage that unfortunately had not survived. Or so we thought! Just as Sarah asked Kallie to get something to wrap the body in, the kitten gave a small sign of life. Immediately, Sarah began rubbing the kitten's body to warm it and breathed into it's mouth several times. She placed it on a warming pad and continued to work on saving this kitten's life. With Sarah's determination and encouragement, this little guy finally stabilized and was breathing! She then proceeded to work with the mother cat and the baby, until the baby finally started to nurse. It was exciting to be a witness to such an amazing event! I am so very thankful for MMCR and Sarah's passion for helping all of our feline friends, from the tiniest little newborns, the senior cats, the kitties with special needs and every one in between! No one is turned away. As a bonus, I was able to bring home a shy little foster kitten who needed extra attention and socialization. It has been a pleasure bonding with her as well as watching the two kittens learn to become friends and bond with each other.

Thanks again, Sarah and MMCR for all that you do!
- MMCR Volunteer
Laura Johnson