More than 20 cats taken from home

Three dead cats were found in the house.

By D.A. WILKINSON

VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU

ROGERS — A relative’s request for help sent Columbiana County animal welfare officials to a Rogers home to evacuate endangered cats.

Brenda Austin, humane officer for the Humane Society of Columbiana County, said Monday that she and other humane workers had also been to the woman’s home Nov. 11 in a similar effort to get her help to deal with the cats.

The resident, a woman in her 50s, was not identified. A relative had asked the society for help.

Austin said she will present information on the condition of the animals to the county prosecutor’s office later this week.

Austin said that the woman appeared to be an animal hoarder. The society is trying to help promote awareness of the problem. Signs include:

UMore than the typical number of animals for normal companionship.

U The inability to provide even minimal standards of nutrition, sanitation, shelter and veterinary care. The neglect may often result in starvation, illness and death.

U Denial of the inability to provide minimum care and the impact of that failure on the animals, the household, and human occupants of the dwelling.

Austin said it was hard to tell how many cats were involved.

“There were 15 to 20 in the house,” she said.

There were six to 12 more cats outside. Austin said it was difficult to accurately count the animals since they were moving around.

The woman agreed to let the society take several of the animals that were in the house Saturday.

Other cats that were infested with fleas were being treated.

“Fleas suck the iron out of the [cat’s] blood,” she said.

The woman had told Austin she would take care of any problems.

“The three dead cats in the house were quite petrified,” Austin said.

Two of the cat bodies were found in the living room behind a mattress and box spring that were propped up against a wall.

There were also problems with the house. There was no running water in the kitchen. A cat running on the stove knocked over a burner cover on the stove revealing that there was no burner beneath it.

wilkinson@vindy.com