People Demanding the Starving Cats Back

The people who "own" the starving cats, three of whom I took in to be spayed yesterday, are demanding them back, although not until this afternoon, because the "owner" is in Salem. For gosh sakes, treating me like a slave, and they don't even feed the cats. I asked if I returned them, are they going to start feeding them, and the woman said she was not part of this, being the daughter in law, and I would have to wait until her mother in law gets back to bring the cats back and talk to her. This was never even originally in the plan, had the cats not been starving.

So, I called a Corrections Officer, also an animal lover, and asked him what to do. He is going to call the sheriff's office, see what they recommend and come over and see the cats as a witness to their condition. I contacted SafeHaven, who said Linn County really only does neglect cases for dogs and was the dog there neglected. I said I didn't know. I just know these cats are starved. So I don't know what will happen. I will be filing a complaint of neglect. Whether Linn County does anything on it, I don't know.

They are claiming ownership so I am forced to return the cats, unless I want arrested.

UPDATE: The animal loving corrections officer himself called the sheriff's department after seeing the cats and someone he knows on patrol went out to talk to the folks. I hope they can be persuaded to take care of them, feed them at least. It's always easier that way. Just don't know. Waiting for a call from the corrections officer guy to let me know what to do next. If the deputy thinks they will go ahead and start feeding them, then we will go out with the cats and Safehaven will provide a bag of food.

Another complication arose, when I asked the friend who has decent eyes, to check the rear end of the allegedly previously neutered male kitten. I couldn't believe he would already be neutered. He looks so much like the calico, same nose color, pink in the same location, and he also looks like the big long hair black and white unfixed male, from up the road I trapped and got fixed. Sure enough, the kitten has tiny little kitten balls and in fact, is not neutered. How'd the vet miss that? I don't know. Probably rushed.

I called the clinic to tell them he isn't fixed, and they said I could bring him back Monday to have it done. But I might not have him on Monday. He may be back at the "owners" and I am done with dealing with them, whatever happens.

I also learned the woman claiming ownership is Hispanic and may have different ideas about how animals are cared for and also, although she speaks English, the neighbor said, may not fully understand the language or what is being said, about pet care. So that's an issue. But I don't speak Spanish and I don't know anyone who could go with me who does.

I'm glad the deputy went out to talk to them. It means more to people if someone in uniform says "You need to feed these cats." It just does, much more force to it, the hint of consequences if they don't do it. So I hope it works out ok. I don't like conflict, but when I see a kitten starved like that, have a vet tell you to keep the kitten at least two weeks just to feed it, and a neighbor is telling me they don't feed them, what are you going to do?

UPDATE: So the deputy is going to leave the case open, I just found out. He got a convoluted story out there, and now they claim only three of the cats are theirs and they only want three back. But they couldn't identify which three were theirs and the drunk husband offered to shoot them all. For now I have to go back with them and let them show which three are theirs and unfortunately, they get to keep them for now. They told the deputy they do just fine eating mice and being thrown scraps every now and then, which is a bunch of baloney. They also told him I didn't have permission to come take any of them to be fixed, which is a lie also, since they were the ones who called me.

I don't like going back there to that sort of people and handing them back cats, some of whom, including this poor little long hair black and white male, will never be fixed. And since the deputy won't be there, they will likely renig on promises to turn over four. It's all sick and horrible and I do hope the investigation remains open and they are forced to either care for those cats properly or relinquish them and get charged with animal neglect, which is what they very much deserve.

I am also vaccinating them, since they'll never get anything done for them again in their poor lives, if they remain there, and applying advantage and I likely will also get to take abuse from these people when I return these cats. Sometimes life can be very hard to take.

UPDATE: Well, I bit the bullet and went out there. Rode with my friend and his kids. We first returned the big black and white male who took a huge poop during the ride up, laced with all sorts of worms, all dead now, thankfully. I wormed him. He even ate the tapeworm pill mixed into wet food. He'll be feeling a whole lot better.

Then we went to the other people's place. They were having a birthday party. The parents came out first and the older woman was angry at first, but she softened. The daughter, who is the one who called, but a different one than I dealt with before, came out looking like she was going to be confrontational, but wasn't in the end. The father had a beer in his hand and would interrupt periodically to offer "I'm going to solve this problem. I'm going to shoot them all." His wife would wave him off sternly and his daughter would say "oh dad" and roll her eyes. He was drunk.

He said there were almost 20 cats on that stretch of road. I said "Well 13 of them are now fixed." But I don't think it got through. They handed over two more of the kittens, who are very sick and the orange and white was so hungry she tried to eat my thumb. Then they said they didn't want the little black and white long hair male back and my heart went "pitter patter" I was so happy. He had acted so relieved here, like he believed he had been saved. To have to take him back out there, to see if he was one they would keep, killed me. But they took back the two calicos, including the starving kitten and this was hard to see.

My only condolence in this is how much she ate in the short time she was here, and the fact I wormed her, defleaed her and vaccinated her. All these things will help her immensely. And the sheriff still has the case open.

I will take them food on Monday and hope that they will feed them. The daughter was interested in getting everybody fixed after I explained how I could do that, even if they are wild. She seemed like a person who is open to new ideas. I liked her. I know that's a weird thing to say about someone who is treating their cats so badly.

Three gone from there will only help the others, however, get more of whatever food there is. All getting fixed down the road, since there is intermingling will also help. Worming them all will help, too.