Animal shelters and rescues in the Jackson Township area of Pennsylvania are working hard to save 31 cats who were dumped in a wooded area of Monroe County. At the time of this article 27 have been trapped with four others who need to be trapped.
The cats were dumped off Alan Court near Tannersville over the weekend. The person who abandoned the cats left two 38-pound bags of dry cat food for the cats. The bags were split open but the cats had no access to fresh water or shelter.
Meghan Catalano lives in Marshalls Creek and helped with the rescue. She told WNEP News
“It was sad. They were dumped on an empty lot at the end of a cul-de-sac. They were dumped with two 38-pound bags of dry cat food that were slit open. There was no water left behind, no type of shelter. ‘It’s just a sad situation. I have rescued several animals over the years and I’ve never had a scenario to this extent.'”
The healthier cats were placed in foster homes. All were covered in fleas with some having hair loss, and others have ear, eye, and chest infections. Five cats are being treated at AWSOM Animal Shelter in Stroud Township.
Wendy Edwards with AWSOM described the cats
“Some of them were scared. There were some in boxes that were just taking coverage. They were scared so some were tough getting into a carrier, but they are becoming sweet cats.”
People living in the Alan Court area posted about the cats on social media. Thanks to their quick thinking, dozens of people came out to help catch the cats. Since the cats are friendly and no afraid of humans, staff members at AWSOM don’t believe the cats are feral.
A GoFundMe webpage has been set up to help the cats. This heartbreaking post from the GoFundMe describes the condition of the cats.
“25-30 sick cats were dumped in the woods in Stroudsburg, PA and left to die last night (October 11, 2019) The cats range in age from kittens to adults. They are in desperate need of medical attention as they are INFESTED with fleas, have ear mites, upper respiratory infections, worms, etc.
They have crusty eyes, missing hair, are dirty and covered in urine. They are very friendly but they are scared, trying to fend for themselves in unfamiliar territory. We spent several hours outside today trying to catch/ trap as many as we could. AWSOM took 5, Foxes Cradle took 2, and we got 7 others out and to safety for the night. We are meeting again tomorrow morning to look for the other 13. There are no more rescues that are willing to help at this point.”
Click here to view a video of the cats. Photos courtesy of Meghan Catalano.
They’re in the early part of the investigation. It wouldn’t surprise me if it takes a week or two to put all the pieces together.
They have NO idea who did this? Whomever did it should be strung up!!! Don’t any of the neighbors have any idea who would dump THIRTY cats?? That’s insane and incredibly cruel.