Cat hoarding in Regina

Merlin - in foster care continuing to recover
Sammi Six toes - to see her adoption ad click HERE

Mitzy - to see her adoption ad click HERE

One of Mitzy's siblings and his buddy - both still in foster care, recovering

Polly - to see her adoption ad click HERE

This past year, People for Animals became aware of a deeply troubling cat hoarding situation here in Regina. An elderly woman and her son lived in a run down old house with countless cats. The house was dirty, small, and smelled so strongly that neighbours complained that they could smell it in the summer if the breeze was blowing the wrong way. A few years prior, another animal rescue group had tried to assist them, and had paid for 19 of their cats to be sterilized. However, they continued to collect cats, and the new ones were not spayed or neutered.

The woman was very elderly, and the son struggled with drug and alcohol addiction. Neighbours frequently heard shouting coming from the house, and the old lady never went outside.

One day, the lady called a People for Animals board member, and asked for help, as she had a cat that her son "didn't like". Our concerns raised, we took the cat into foster care - the first of many. Her name is Mitzy and she is pictured above. Only now that Mitzy has recovered from whatever she experienced in that house do we truly understand what likely happened to her.

Despite several calls to the local humane society, the Animal Protection officers were unable to do anything about the situation, as the basic needs of the cats were being met, and there were no witnesses to any other abuse who would provide a statement to that effect. They encouraged PFA to continue to take cats from this house, if they were willing to give them up, as there was nothing else that could be done.

In late fall, we received a call from the lady's daughter, who told us that her mother was in the hospital, and that she was not likely to ever go home again. She asked us to take as many of the cats into care as we could, if we could talk her brother into it.

It took a great deal of diplomacy, and patience, but we finally succeeded in rescuing 9 of these cats in total. The son would not part with any other ones. We remain hopeful that at some point he will.

These cats have needed an incredible amount of love and care. None of them have ever been socialized in a stable environment. When we went to get them they didn't even have cat litter available to them. Several of them are still very scared, and one (not pictured) will still not let her foster mother touch her. We will work with these cats as long as it takes, and we are determined to find them loving homes where they will never again know such suffering.

Placing them will prove difficult, as some are still quite timid, and they are all between the ages of 4 and 6 years old. If you are considering adding to your pet family, please consider one of these wonderful cats. They will reward you with a lifetime of gratitude.

To read more about what animal hoarding is, please click HERE

-Sarah