A Woman with 40 Cats is Being Assisted by Animal Services

A woman with 40 cat is being assisted by animal services. This is a situation which is not dissimilar to one which I have recently reported on (as has the news media). In the case of Fur ‘N Feather Farm assistance by animal services would have resulted in a better outcome than seizing all the cats which has put an intolerable burden upon animal services.

In this instance, an East Liverpool, Ohio, USA woman had adopted, over time, 40 cats. Her name is Lisa Ensinger. Her story is reported in the Morning Journal. She loves her cats and it appears to me that she looks after them adequately with the help of her mother and brother.

She fell ill and has been a patient for a few weeks in an assisted living facility after surgery. Unsurprisingly, the interior of her house lacked cleanliness to put it gently. I think she would admit that it required a lot of cleaning because she engaged a man to clean the house. It didn’t work out because the guy wanted more money because the work look harder than he thought it would so the contract broke down. But Lisa’s intentions are clear. She knows it needs cleaning and she employed someone to do the work because she is ill. She also made arrangements for a dumpster to be taken to her property.

All the cats are spayed and neutered. There were some reports that she had 80 cats but that is untrue. It is not unusual for a reports on these cases to be exaggerated. Although, the city health Commissioner Carol Cowan declared that the house is uninhabitable in his current condition it appears that she has agreed to work with the lady to clean it up.

Lots of Assistance

The Service-Safety Director Brian Allen assured Ensinger that the city will assist in cleaning up her house. He said that if Lisa’s arrangements fall through the city will step in and help to find somebody else.

Also, it is nice to report that Lisa has had the support of the community. Brian Allen told her that he had received numerous messages from people who want to help. Alan also told her that if she becomes overwhelmed again she should call them because the city will provide assistance.

An animal shelter 40 miles away, Angels for Animals (AFA), is assisting as well. The founder of AFA, Diane Less, has taken six of her cats to their facility for testing to see if they are suffering from feline leukaemia which is highly contagious.

Now that, I think, is a good way to proceed if at all possible. I am not saying that it is always possible to do things this way because rescues can get so bad that the cats have to be confiscated.

However, in this situation it is better for the city to work with the individual. It is better for the cats and their welfare and it is better for the owner of the cats. It is also cheaper for the city.

A Woman with 40 Cats is Being Assisted by Animal Services to a failed Animal Services rescue.