The World Newspaper in Coos Bay covers Hoarder House Story

The hoarder house clean up event was covered by Coos Bay's newspaper. Click the post title to read the story.

The story is interesting in that the couple already had a collector mentality before they began helping cats. They could not get rid of stuff. Their three car garage looks like many of the garages around here, crammed top to bottom with useless items from fans, to bedframes to old bedding, to tools and cages and broken TV's. I counted at least three microwaves visible in the garage.

They began helping cats with a flawed plan. They had an adoption center at a mall. People who wanted to rehome their cats could drop them off in the morning at the mall and if the cats were not adopted during the day, they were to pick them up in the evening. But most people never picked their cats up, dumping them on the couple.

As recently as five years ago, the house and cats were well cared for. Then came the decline in their health and litter boxes were literally never cleaned again.

In addition, they refused to give up any adoptable cats to local groups (no kill groups).

Anyhow, I hope the article generates some donations to help cover the costs of garbage haul off. S/nipped and FOCCAS did an incredible job cleaning up that awful place and getting the cats out. They left them their treasured dozen, their oldest cats, who have been with them since they lived in California.

I have found with cat hoarders, leaving at least two fixed cats really helps prevent and recurrence.

I need to remember their story. I am alone here and should I have a health decline, which is inevitable as we age, what would become of the cats here? I don't know of anyone with cats who does not think about this.

I have a list of the cats here, with photos, on my frig and instructions on personalities, who likes who, what type of home would be best, for each included along with directions on how to find all their med records on my computer files.

But what of the ferals here, what would become of them, and who would take any of them on, and not kill them, should something happen to me?

I have an agreement with a neighbor and one woman, to care for them, if they get a call that something has happened to me, on a temporary basis, and of shelters I don't want them taken to, because they would be killed. So far, that's all I've come up with, as a solution. Besides, of course, trying to find the adoptable ones homes.

In that vein, I have a message from the Portland woman who may still want to adopt Valentino. Crossing fingers. And so far, no return of Grumbly Rumby and Suri, which is really a happy thing for me.

Did precious Rumby finally find someone to love him forever?