Euthanasia alert in North Carolina: 81-year-old dying senior found with more than 30 cats

UPDATE JANUARY 27 FROM LAURA MORRISON: If you are in the Monroe or Charlotte area contact me ..if you are an approved rescuer meaning you are involved with an area 501 or humane society please this is urgent. This means that hundreds of kittens have possibly died here.. they were never taken to the pound as we were told. Two older kittens are in the bedroom. If we could have at least two trappers up here. 704-877-0916

UPDATE January 25: (1) We need to get the feral supporters involved. Some of the cats on the property may be feral/semi-fera (2) Elisa has updated in a comment as well (opens new tab).

This is a euthanasia alert in the Anson County, North Carolina area. An 81-year-old dying senior was found with more than 30 cats in the home. Cats who had bred out of control and many are very sick. There may be 50+ cats on the property as not all have been accounted for.

Since this is an extreme emergency I’m copying and pasting the Facebook post made by Laura Morrison of Zach’s Rescue.

“UPDATE:
Sheets animal hospital has confirmed they will take 5-7 kittens and one young adult.

Zach’s will take two kittens ..

URGENT..
81 YEAR OLD DYING SENIOR FOUND WITH OVER 30 CATS. CALICO IN PIC HAS HAD 14 LITTERS SINCE 2012. ANSON COUNTY WILL TAKE 10 CATS. THE REST WILL BE EUTHANIZED NO MATTER HEALTHY/SICK.
THERE ARE TWO UNLOCATED THAT HAVE HAD EYES THAT FELL OUT.

I am literally sick to my stomach. I left this woman’s home last nite and I was in shock that one of her cats ( calico in pic) has had 14 litters since 2012. She told me she couldn’t afford to spay her so she continually took the kittens to the local Anson County pound. The county has no record of her ever bringing anything.

She informed me that 2 or 3 of the cats had eyeballs that had fallen out. I asked her where those cats were. She said she wasn’t sure. The family told me they had the option of sending in a local vet to start euthanizing these cats/ kittens but they’re not going to spend their money like that.

The laundry room became a litter box years ago. She pointed to the floor and said “ they all go to the bathroom there, I’m not well enough to do anything anymore.”

Everyone, please contact or tag all reputable rescues. There are 7 beautiful kittens that must go today. They are sick with treatable upper respiratory. I looked at each of them and they are still eating /drinking but beginning to show discolored mucus in the nose with watery eyes.

All cats/ kittens are inbred. The senior woman has no idea who is pregnant or through the years how many kittens were there. I cannot do this by myself and must ask that other rescues step in. Anson County shelter said they do reserve the right to euthanize every cat upon arrival but will not euthanize most likely the first day.

They will take 5 cats with upper respiratory and 5 cats that are healthy. The rest will be destroyed. The director informed me that their shelter is small and the budget is $1,200 a year. The shelter director said they CANNOT take these cats and will allow some into the program that are healthy but she’s adamant.

Five healthy. Five w/URI. The rest will be euthanized. I spoke with her on the phone last night for over an hour and told her I would reach out to my community and other groups as well, to let them know her limitations. The kittens are beautiful folks!! Sweet but they stink of fecal matter and urine.

Can everyone please start sharing. The elderly woman is refusing to let some of the cats go but her family is adamant, cats go either alive or deceased but they’re going.
North Carolina ..Anson County..704-877-0916.

If anyone can please help with even one kitten, I will meet them at her address or somewhere in the Charlotte area. If what this woman says is correct, there are over 50 kittens/cats unaccounted for thru the years..”

Please get this article shared with anyone and everyone in the rescue community. These cats don’t stand a chance if we don’t network them fast and network them hard.