I have one report on this and it is not that well written so it is rather tricky to report it myself. Nonetheless it is quite interesting and unusual. Please comment if you can clarify or add to the report.

Volunteers who act as foster carers of rescue cats provide a good service as they expand an animal shelters operation in a flexible way. They are nearly always reliable people and animal lovers.

Samantha Valentine

Valentine mug shot. Photo: the police.

A 29-year-old woman, Samantha Valentine, from Watervliet, New York state, has been accused of selling the cats and kittens in her foster care without the permission of the non-profit for which she worked, Kitten Angels.

She is also accused of failing to properly ensure that the kittens that she sold were checked by a veterinarian and in good health which resulted in some of the kittens dying shortly after their sale to buyers.

Valentine had permission to foster care the kittens but not to sell them from Kitten Angels. She achieved the sales by fraudulently using Kitten Angels’ documentation on the sale of the kittens. It appears that she wanted to start her own rescue business without all the usual overheads and organisational issues.

Twelve cats and two dogs had remained at her residence and they have now been removed under a court order, as I understand it.

Watervliet Police Dept. spokesperson, Police Chief Anthony Geraci said in a news release:

We would also like to thank Mohawk Hudson Humane Society and “Kitten Angels” for their cooperation and assistance in the investigation, which had a direct impact on our ability to bring the suspect to justice.

Valentine has been charged with a range of offences including: second-degree possessing a forged instrument, a Class D felony, second-degree forgery, a Class D felony, second-degree scheme to defraud, a misdemeanor, torture/injure/not feed animal, a misdemeanor, and sale/exposing deceased animal, an unclassified misdemeanor).

Comment: This is the third cat foster care scandal I have reported (see one of the previous ones). It is clear that foster care applicants need to be thoroughly vetted before being taken on and closely monitored until they are considered trustworthy.

Kitten Angels operate in association with Mohawk Commons Mall which is not that far from Albany, NY state and on the outskirts of a town called Schenectady.

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