If you love cats as much as I do, this news will break your heart. In North Port, Florida, a man named Andrew Gerberich neglected his cats so badly that they resorted to cannibalism after they were not fed. He had a total of 26 cats on his property as well as 9 dead cats, some of which had been eaten by the others in an attempt to survive. Gerberich is being held on a bond for $915,000 for aggravated animal cruelty.
A worse story comes to us from New Jersey where a cat hoarding couple had almost 100 cats in their condo. Some of them were dead. Cats were so cramped in the building that they were living in the walls and attic of the building. A hazmat crew had to come assess the situation with the police. Richard and June Dennis are animal lovers who took in too many cats, eventually filing for bankruptcy over spending all of their money on cat food each month. Charges have not been filed against the couple, who have had to foreclose due to their financial situation.
In White Settlement, Texas, the city council voted to fire the local library’s mascot, Browser (great name!). After the local citizens complained, it was decided that the cat could stay at the library. You have to wonder what goes on in a town to make this an actual issue on the ballot for the city council members, right? Perhaps it was a legitimate issue with some people complaining about having cat allergies and not being able to browse with Browser nearby, but some sources say that it was in retaliation to another employee who was denied the chance to bring a dog to work in a government building. Apparently Browser does a lot of good, too, though: he is in the annual calendar to help generate funds for the library, he “takes” GED classes with the citizens and even has an honorary diploma.
And finally in cat news, did you know that a lot of animal shelters run special cat adoptions during the spring and summer months when their centers are over-filled beyond capacity? Contact your local Humane Society or other shelter to see if there are any specials to adopt cats if you have been meaning to do so. Our local shelter had kittens for $20 and adult cats for free for one month.
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
Add new comment