Northern BC owner surrenders 25 cats and 1 dog to BC SPCA

The BC SPCA has taken in 25 cats and a severely matted dog from a property east of Terrace in northern BC.

“The strong odour of ammonia and feces was overwhelming. The home was not suitable for animals or people,” said Eileen Drever, senior officer of protection and stakeholders relations for the BC SPCA.

“Many of the kittens were noticeably underweight and one of the cats had an untreated rear leg injury. The dog had difficulty moving because of the mats and was found lying on a mattress in the living room. We are thankful the owner asked us for help as he recognized he could not give the animals what they needed.”

Drever added that matting of the dog’s fur was one of the worst cases she had seen in her career and that the animal trembled when he first arrived at the animal centre and did not want to be touched.

“You could tell the matting was painful,” said Drever.

After grooming the dog, staff noticed a complete change. He went from not wanting to be touched to wanting to be wrapped in a blanket and held tight.

When they arrived at the animal shelter, most of the 25 cats and kittens had urine-soaked fur and were frozen with fear.

“The cats and kittens soon realized staff were trying to help them and were very brave when they were being examined, receiving treatments and having their coats cleaned,” explained Drever.

“Several began to lean in for back scratches and even the most anxious of the cats began to purr. It took three people six hours just to complete this step of their care.”

While one of the cats sadly had to be euthanized, the remaining animals will need to be spayed and neutered and several have dental issues. One kitten has a tennis ball sized hernia that will require extensive surgery to repair.

All of the animals are currently in quarantine and donations to the BC SPCA can be made online at this link.