Many cats taken from contaminated house were euthanized

STEPHENVILLE — When the call came to help at a house overcrowded with cats at 17 King St. in Stephenville, the Southwest Coast SPCA was there.

SPCA chair Ted White said the RCMP initiated the investigation and two SPCA members went along on three occasions to assist in removing 85 cats.

He said in this situation, each cat was individually evaluated by a veterinarian with West Coast Veterinary Services. After the vet determined which cats were healthy, the SPCA was brought in to find homes for them.

The Town of Stephenville was responsible for removing and transferring the cats to the pound, where the evaluations were done. The SPCA provided two people to help round up the felines and give police instructions on how to handle them.

Unfortunately, White said, many of the cats were diseased, sick, infected or filled with tumours. Fifteen adult cats and 12 kittens were saved after they were determined to be healthy.

“If the cats are sick you have to euthanize them. It’s the humane thing to do,” White said.

White said he holds no malice toward the man who had the cats, as he didn’t do any physical harm to them and was feeding them the best he could.

“He loved those cats and believed he was providing them shelter,” he said.

The man was a tenant in the since-demolished home.

White said the tenant had about eight cats early on, but he got overwhelmed because cats can reproduce so quickly.

“Having pets spayed or neutered prevents this from happening. It really only takes months for a cat colony to be formed,” he said.