Animal Emotions

Do animals think and feel?

by Marc Bekoff

Nearly 1000 Sick Cats Seized at the Caboodle Ranch Cat Sanctuary

The sick cats lived in what's called "feline heaven" in Lee, Florida

Published on March 4, 2012 by Marc Bekoff, Ph.D. in Animal Emotions

To follow up to my recent essay on Iowa's new law making it a misdemeanor "to lie on a job application to get access to a farm facility" to film animal abuse undercover, a crime punishable with up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $1,500, I just learned about how an undercover operation resulted in the seizure of "nearly a thousand sick felines from the Caboodle Ranch cat sanctuary in Lee, FL this week. The ASPCA reports that it is the largest cat rescue they've ever done".

"This is a tragic situation. Caboodle Ranch was clearly overwhelmed with hundreds of cats in dire need of medical treatment," says Tim Rickey, Senior Director of the ASPCA's Field Investigations and Response team. "The sanctuary had no adoption or spay/neuter programs in place to manage its current population."

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To read more on this horrific situation but great outcome for the cats, please see here and here. While the actual numbers vary they are substantial and this sort of abuse, occuring in what's called "feline heaven" by supporters must never ever be tolerated.

The teaser image, courtesy of PETA, can be found here.