After more than 250 cats and kittens were rescued from a property in Houston last month, the BC SPCA says the second stage of its “intake process” has begun.
The SPCA explains an empty warehouse in Prince George has been turned into a “fully operational animal triage centre” that can support about 117 more cats, in addition to the first 150 taken from the property.
“It took some time to get all of the necessary supplies together for this triage centre,” said Adrienne McBride, the BC SPCA’s senior director, community animal centres. “We needed hundreds of cat litter trays and hundreds of wire crates to keep the cats separate from one another.”
The BC SPCA says staff have come from all over the province to help with the triaging, including from Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland.
“It’s been a huge operation,” McBride said. “It was important to have the cats and kittens assessed as quickly as possible so those needing medical care could begin their treatments promptly and the healthy cats could be transferred to centres to begin their adoption journeys. It’s definitely an ‘all hands-on deck’ type of situation, we’ve had teams working around the clock on this.”
In March, the society said it received a call from a man in Houston asking for support. The owner reportedly said people had been dumping cats on his property for the last several years.
“The owner, when he was asked how many cats he had, he said — and I’m quoting him — he said, ‘It’s like trying to count bubbles in a boiling pot of water.’ He guesstimates about 280. We’re hoping it’s less than that,” said spokesperson Eileen Drever on March 22.
“It is a huge undertaking for the BC SPCA. He has, currently, between 70 and 80 fairly newborn kittens. It’s crucial we get these kittens out of there as soon as possible for their own welfare, and in fact, we need to get them all out as soon as possible and examine them, treat them as necessary, and, hopefully, we’ll find them forever homes.”
Drever explained the man started with just two cats a few years ago. That number, however, grew rapidly. She said the owner had been taking care of them but had since become extremely overwhelmed by the volume, noting he recently lost his job.
In its update Tuesday, the BC SPCA said it is continuing to support the man as there are still “a number” of cats on his property, despite more than 250 animals already being removed.
“The remaining cats are more fearful and will be more challenging to bring into care but the BC SPCA is working with the owner to determine the best next steps,” the society said.
The SPCA added that some of the cats that were rescued in the initial intake are now available for adoption.