The sights, smells, and sounds inside of this dilapidated Middletown, Delaware home must have been bone-chilling when officers entered -- given that 56 neglected, sick, and dying cats were living there. Thankfully, all of the animals were rescued, removed and surrendered to the Brandywine Valley SPCA where they are being nursed back to health before they're put up for adoption. But even though the two people responsible for their suffering have been charged with animal cruelty, the laws in Delaware don't prevent them from one day being able to own animals again -- a privilege that they have clearly proven they do not deserve.
Sign the petition and ask that the Delaware Office of Animal Welfare advise prosecutors to request a lifetime ban on owning any other animals for these abusers!
Things were bad enough for a neighbor outside of the property to notice and call in a complaint to local authorities, which is what brought animal control officers to the scene. There, they found almost 60 cats, from babies to adults as old as 10, living in filthy, "deplorable conditions." Many were so covered in fleas that they had lost substantial amounts of hair. Some of the poor cats were starving and emaciated. More still were suffering from upper respiratory conditions. One sweet cat just couldn't hold on and was dead by the time rescuers arrived. Another was saved, but in such bad health that it had to be euthanized.
For so many cats to become so ill requires a long, concentrated period of abuse and neglect. Even if these two owners had once been able to care for their cats, it would take a long time and a ton of steps along the way for them to acquire and then forsake these poor kitties. At any point they could have stopped adopting cats, or reached out to a local shelter for help, but instead they opted to leave 56 cats to slowly, miserable die. There is simply no excuse for hoarding this many animals, only to deny them proper food, attention, medical care, not to mention a safe environment -- once the animals were rescued, the home was formally condemned because it was in such a state of disrepair.
While it makes sense that animal cruelty charges have been brought against the two people involved, it is much more important that the ramifications actually protect animals -- and in the state of Delaware, both an animal cruelty misdemeanor and a felony only ban the guilty party from owning animals for a period of time. These folks clearly just aren't equipped to care for innocent, defenseless animals, and a monetary fine or time in jail is not going to change that.
Owning animals is a privilege, and one that these two abusers have squandered. Sign the petition and ask that the Delaware Office of Animal Welfare suggest a lifetime ban on owning animals for these two!
Photo courtesy of the Brandywine Valley SPCA, where these sweet cats are being housed and treated.
