31 cats rescued in abandoned house near Ashcroft

January 9, 2012. For immediate release.

The Kamloops Branch of the BC SPCA is caring for 31 cats who were found in an abandoned home near Ashcroft, B.C. BC SPCA special constables rescued the 31 cats on January 4 and plan to use live traps to capture the remaining half-dozen cats who have been hiding in and around the home.

Kent Kokoska, senior animal protection officer for the BC SPCA, said that most of the cats were in good condition, but several were treated for ear and eye infections. They are being cared for by staff and volunteers at the Kamloops SPCA shelter and will be available for adoption later this week.

“Unfortunately none of the cats had any kind of identification, such as a tattoo, microchip or ID collar, to link them to potential owners,” said Kokoska. “A few of the cats had plastic collars but they were all the same style and it is likely they were put on the cats by whoever placed them in the house.” Kokoska said the SPCA and the RCMP are following up on a lead that the cats may have been collected by an animal hoarder and placed in the house.

The SPCA urges anyone who may be missing their cat to check out the photos posted at spca.bc.ca/news. “We don’t know if any of these are owned or if they are stray or abandoned animals, but if someone sees a cat they believe may be theirs on the website, they should then visit the Kamloops SPCA shelter, with proof of ownership, such as photos or veterinary records. Photos of the 31 cats are also available at the Cache Creek veterinary clinic.

“Obviously if these cats are owned we want to reunite them with their families right away, but if not, we need to move forward to adopt them into new loving homes,” said Kokoska.

The BC SPCA conducts more than 7,000 cruelty investigations each year and is reliant on donations from the public to continue its work. To find out how you can help, please visit www.spca.bc.ca/support.

Below are photos of the 31 cats mentioned above.

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For more information:

BC SPCA constable Kent Kokoska, 1-866-901-7722;

Marcie Moriarty, general manager, cruelty investigations, BC SPCA, 604-647-1318 (office), 604-258-8642 (cell);

Lorie Chortyk, general manager, community relations, 604-647-1316 (office), 604-830-7179 (cell).

The BC SPCA is a non-profit organization funded primarily by public donations. Our mission is to prevent cruelty and to promote the welfare of animals through a wide range of services, including cruelty investigations, emergency rescue and treatment, sheltering and adoption of homeless and abused animals, humane education, advocacy, farm animal welfare, spay/neuter programs, and wildlife rescue and rehabilitation.