PETA Investigation Shuts Down Caboodle Ranch

There is a website for anyone interested in looking at the facts for themselves. It may help you come to your own conclusions on where you stand and what you think about the situation at Caboodle Ranch. The website is http://caboodleranch.net/

How odd, two facebook pages that were dedicated to showing the 'other' side of Caboodle...the side from the PETA investigation and visits by Maddie's shelter and HSUS and many eyewitness accounts...have been taken down today by zealots from a new facebook page supporting Caboodle. They choose to turn a blind eye to the suffering caused to the cats and are regurgitating the fluffy PR and lies that Nanette is so good at writing. Luckily it will all come out in court, no need to worry but it sure is interesting that they are so threatened by the truth being told!

Dale Swisher:
Have read several comments you have made DEFENDING Craig Grant & Cabodle Ranch.
Are you willing to testify UNDER oath that thoae cats were in fact properly care for?
Mr Swisher you were probably @ CR in the early years
but Craig changed possibly due to many reason.
Why did he refused needed medical for so many ill cats?
All new cats arriving were to be spayed/neuter, sadly it WASN'T done, resulting in more cats
Grant spoke with pride about a special place for kittens to play
Ill cats with infectious disease were allowed to roam infecting healthy cats
Mites, parasites & URI are very detrimental to cats, a simple cold turns into pneumonia & WHAM death.
This was not a NO KILLL sanctuary but a SLOW DEATH camp.
Grant admitted from the star that he didn't care for cats, fact being he became a HOARDER oblivious to cats physical, emotional, mental needs.

Hoarding is a severe mental illness that difficult to treat, no cure.
A long time cat lover/rescuer/helper
Southeast Arizona's

Dana:
You're a cat lover with conviction not agenda,
facts are facts, better left for judge to decide.Great part is those cats are out of slow death camp & responsible ones will be dealt with accordingly. Live in a country where false arrests/prosecution are rare.
My kudos to those that worked so hard for those cats
including but not limited to PETA & SPCA.
keenpetite
A long time cat lover

Dale Swisher:
Have read several comments you've sent in, I'd like to know what year were you @ CR?
Are are you able to testify UNDER oath that those cats were being properly cared for?
At times its best to say nothing or be deemed a fool. Think about it, please.
Grant had good intentions, I repeat HAD, but actions bring GREAT results.
Cats are prolific you can star with 2 & in less than 6 years you will end up with over 160, not good at all. Grant said "all cats will be neutered/spayed" obviously this wasn't done, he even wrote about a for kitties to play, he allowed those cat to mate/reproduce quickly.
Fact is Grant became a HOARDER, a mental illnes that's difficult to treat & cure.

Kudos to those that went BEYOND the call of duty to save cats living slow death.
Along time cat lover & rescuer,
Southeast Arizona

Dale Swisher:
I don't agree what you write about CR being a clan caring place, if so what's the reason investigation was done & removsl of over 600 removed by law officials ?

Facts show many cats were neglected & very ill.

If you were aware of what truly happened at CR, best to say nothing rather than be deemed a fool & remove all doubts.

has good intentions, I repeat HAD but actions bring great results.
Delighted cats are in happier places,
A long time cat lover/rescuer/helper
Southeast Arizona

Sorry readers:
As a long time cat lover/rescuer I must make this clear:
Grant had good intentions but actions bring results, absolutely refused help offered for cats needed medical care.

It became overwhelming to care ON HIS OWN for over 600 cats.

Cats were NOT spayed/neuter thus resulting more cats

Ill cats were allowed to roam thus infecting others

A simple cold will turn into pneumonia very quickly, recuperation is rare. Our 2 year old kittie died in such manner in a couple of weeks under vets care.

Parasites, intestinal, fleas & mites are very serious & will progress to worst including deafness, anemia & death.

Grant has a mental illness namely a HOARDER, difficult to treat & cure.
My deepest gratitude to volunteers using energy & funds to help these cats. yes, a few died but hundreds were saved. A slow death camp NOT a sanctuary !!
A long time (at least 50 yrs) catlover/rescuer/helper that speaks for the right of those who can't

Thanks anon for putting this whole ordeal back into perspective. Nothing anyone says about what they did and didn't is worth discussing anymore. Everyone is quite familiar with my experience and if they are new and want know about it they can go to FB page CABOODLE RANCH: SAVE THE KITTIES.

At the end of the day, all these posts aren't going to make a lick of difference to the judge. Justice will be determined with hardcore evidence.

I'm done defending the work myself and others put into getting the cats out of the "death camp".

We've been reading about Caboodle Ranch for a few weeks now, please ponder on this?

a) Grant had good intentions, but he was OVERWHELMED, over 600 cats to care for is too much for one person
b)Cats were supposed to be spayed/neutered thus limiting number of cats
c)Cats need more than food, inclusive vet care, vaccinations as well as emotional support
d)Ill cats with infections, parasites shouldn't to be allowed to roam, why, infecting rest of cats, eg
a simple cold can be fatal to a cat, pneumonia sets & wham death (sorry to be graphic, with cats that's the way it happens)
Grant became a HOARDER, a mental ilness very difficult to both treat & recover from
People, let's not get sidelined, court system in US takes exhaustive measures to bring the truth NOT hide it.
Delighted cats are out of death camp !

A cat lover for many years

Dale,

I'm not going to continue to go round and round with you about what is true and what is not. You have your positive personal experience that you claim at Caboodle while dozens of others (and many more coming forward day by day) witnessed what they described as a death camp. Along with Dr. Levys report, HSUS report, dozens of witnesses with photos and video, PETA undercover investigation, and now the investigation by the local authorities with the help of an ASPCA investigation team that inclueds a forensic scientists.

Anyone who is logical would agree that the evidence is overwhelming. A few staunch CR supporters claims of how well Craig took care of and loved the cats is petty.

Additionally, the person you are receiving threats from is not associated with me or anyone else on Save the Kitties page. That person was banned a long time ago. You want to discuss CR fans being threatened. I received this personal message, which was also posted publically on the CR fan page:

"ye have caused grief and alot of pain to Craig and Nanette,I will fight for them in every way I can and if that means getting my fecking arse arrested then so be it,ye are really lucky ye do not live near me and aye that is a threat now piss the bloody hell off"

Don't throw stones when you live in a brick house

Dana, My only agenda is to provide an overview of my experiences at Caboodle Ranch. My agenda is to show what I consider to be the truth. If you look back at my comments, I have always said the same thing. This is what I saw, this is what I believe is factual. I am always amazed at the vitriolic comments on your site. You need to monitor some of the nastiness. I'm really not keen about being threatened with physical harm, as I have been by one of your supporters.

Here is a quote from an ASPCA inspector;

Dick Green, who is on the field investigation and response team for ASPCA, said the majority of the animals were not in dire need for immediate medical attention.

"From what I've seen, it would be safe to say that the majority of them were not in the condition that you see in the videotape (provided by PETA), but there were certainly enough of them for us to feel this needed to take place."

Now, how difficult would it have been for the ASPCA to backtrack and say, Whoops, this wasn't necessary.

This raid was politically motivated by PeTA to get support for their stand on the proposed FL law against certain shelters. To think it took 5 months to collect the information shown in the short video is amazing. If there were blatant animal abuses, the PeTA agent would have seen it immediately and called for police action. Perhaps she was told to hold off and PeTA would release the video at the same time the FL law was being debated. I know for a fact that the agent and a friend who worked there at the same time took cats to the vet on several occasions. The vet was there a short while before the raid. Many shelters have constant complaints lodged against them. There are always detractors that could do it better, cheaper, more humanely.

I did spend time at the ranch, actually much more than you did and after you were there. I still think it is extremely worthwhile. Wouldn't even you agree that maintaining the facility, adding additional help and improvements would have been more humane than removing the cats? It's obvious you despised Craig and your passion in life was to destroy him. I thought your raison d'etre was to safeguard the cats? The raid was not the best way to do it. And I will not stop supporting Caboodle Ranch.

3/8/12
We need to learn both sides of story before judging, Caboodle Ranch is a perfect example, sadly most of us were not present to see, filth, lack of medical care & suffering cats went thru.

Do you think that such investigation was done because of a vendetta against Grant?

We live in a free country that deeply cares about animals, PETA/ASPCA must have received numerous calls/complaints about Caboodle Ranch & deplorable conditions cats suffering from. We do not live in some 3rd world country where false arrests/prosecution are common.
A 5 month investigation takes manpower & energy
only manner abuse/neglect can be documented, bring those at fault revealed/prosecuted.Grant had good intentions but actions bring great results.He was offered help but refused it.Cats suffered.
If a child/children are neglected/abused CPS (Child Protective Services) takes over, if it's determined parent(s) deemed unfit then prosecution begins ALL for the physical/mental/emotional well being of children.At times children are removed from that home. Not a short process.
We must appreciate time & effort PETA, SPCA & volunteers spent & the horrible suffering they watched, yes, few cats died but hundreds were saved. Poor Lilly (female cat), died from what began as a simple cold, suffered for few months. Grant called her "the cat with a bad eye".

Callous, insensitive ?

At long last an animal HOARDER is being charged with the atrocities he/others inflicted on cats.
Cats are loving, very clean & smart.What began as
a safe NO KILL shelter turned to slow death for several of them.
Grant must be held accountable & responsible for what these cats suffered @ Caboodle Ranch.He is in complete DENIAL, a severe mental illness, where recovery is difficcult & rare.
As a cat lover/rescuer for several decades reading/watching what these cats endured literally
affected me.
Glad cats finally getting much needed care.
A true cat lover/rescuer/helper.

Dale, everyone has read your story a million times and it is the same scripted old story. No one with logic believes what you and the rest of what the cult followers have to say. It's the same group of people over and over along with the PETA haters. Those PETA and ASPCA haters don't give a damn about those cats. Anytime they feel someone is "wronged" by one of those groups, they come crawling out of the woodworks. Where was there support before? They are the same people who were outraged by the other hoarding closures i.e. Haven Acres, 10th Life, and the upcoming one Angel's Gate. It's obvious they have an agenda. As far as your agenda, I haven't figured that one out yet. It doesn't matter how many times you post your story or have many signatures you get on that pathetic petition. The judge is only going to look at the overwhelming evidence presented to him on a plate.

I have written on this site before to express my admiration for Craig and Caboodle Ranch. How could I do that? Because I volunteered there twice ---on site, morning to night for a week all together, along with Isabella from Germany.She also is appalled at what has happened. I saw the commitment and dedication Craig has for his animals. How many of you would sleep in a sleeping bag to be near your cats? Or work 12 hour days, rain or shine.
If I hadn't been there, I might have believed the inflammatory video made by Lauren, the PeTA undercover agent. If there were abuses, why did it take 5 months to uncover them? The frig shown in the video was in an unused, locked trailer. It was to be discarded. The frig I used was clean. As for the URIs, you only have to research shelters to see how prevalent that is. There are medical records for the cat with the bad eye. It was treated. Cats had ample food, shelter. It was a far better place for them than where they are now.
I can only report what I experienced and it was terrific. Could there be improvements? Of course, but new cabins were installed, fencing was improved, a new FIV infectious disease compound was made. Those things are true, and while people are entitled to their own opinions, they are not entitled to their own facts. The most disturbing aspect of this tragedy is that Craig and CR was applying for an EAH, Excess Animal Habitat, permit required by the county. They worked closely with the vet and Jamie, always trying to make CR better. To have the MC Sheriff's office and AC both colluding to have CR closed while telling Craig he was doing well, is sickening.
I've been there enough to know that a great wrong was done. If there were major animal abuse problems, why didn't the ASPCA allow the animals to stay where they were and have a certified shelter manager take over instead of uprooting the cats and destroying lives. If you want some accurate reporting, look at Madison Voice and read the editorial by John Ovenden. He was accused of only videoing the clean, favorable locations at the ranch. In fact, like me, he was never limited to where he could go.
Lauren worked with a friend of mine at the ranch, and the two of them took cats to the vet, when necessary. The vet was at the ranch one afternoon when I was there, and was there about two weeks ago.
The raid was unnecessary. Improvements could have been made, but I recognize that the anti-Caboodle people will not be happy until they can totally destroy Craig, Nanette, and as many cats as possible. That's the crime. And by the way, I paid my own way from NJ to FL, paid for my own motel room, paid for my own food, and I was headed down last week for another treat of working with the cats of Caboodle Ranch.

PRAYING FOR CTAIG.

SAME AS HAVING FAMILY KILLED IN WAR CRIMES.

I AM ON PUTER WITH MY PETS.

SO MUCH LOVE FROM THEM

CRAIG'S LOVE TORN AWAY

HE DOES NOT NOW WHERE THEY ARE

PRAY FOR CRAIG

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2012-02-29/story/treatment-time-700-cats#1#ixzz1npRNm5uc

Google Caboodle Ranch for news stories. Lots out there. A rescue that came all the way from California to help is RedRover. Here is their info (I don't have info for anyone else but their names are in the news stories): "We will have significant expenses associated with this mission but we will not be setting up a specific fund. Any funds donated through our general emergency fund page will go towards this and other similar deployments. http://www.redrover.org/emergencyfund "

Does anyone have current updates from agencies on-site as to the numbers so far, the status of the cats and what people seeking their cats should do at this point?? How about links for donating to the regional shelters that are helping?? News reports are limited and conflicting and I see NOTHING coming from ASPCA in the way of actually informative updates - just promo videos. I realize they are busy doing the rescue, but surely they have someone who can communicate with the public....Thanks!

This is the most disgusting thing I have seen. Why would this man refuse help for the cats who were so ill, why would he refuse any kind of help. He is definitely a hoarder. I have 25 cats and worried that I might be a hoarder, but try to find homes for most. Some are my personel cats and I will keep them. We had to have one of our cats put down yesterday because he had an abcess from a cat fight and it turned septic after the vet opened it. If you have a heart and care you reach out for help in such an overwhelming situation. This just ruins my day. Does this man still have the cats and if so,, my question is why? I love cats, always have but have the sense to know what my limit is and how many I can care for, this man apparently does not and where were the donations going to? I get nothing I spend my money for the cats. I pray the cats are somewhere better now.

Just like the rest that saw the video of Caboodle Ranch, I'm literally sick/broken hearted watching cats suffer due to neglect, there's ABSOLUTELY no reason nor excuse for this to occur.
The only thing this cats need was care, physical & emotional, yes, video is graphic but we as humans need to find out what the true story or reason behind these secret abusers. Hope that man stays in jail/prison for long time.
My only wish is better days ahead for this cats.
Thanks to PETA for doing undercover investigation.
keenpetite
Southeast Arizona

The more I thought about this situation, the madder I became:
I had an experience with someone who did not want the cat colony that I have arround as he hates animals and wanted my land. I spend a lot of money on food, vets and medicine to keep my colony healthy.
This man burned plastic, rubber and insectiside and fertilizer containers behind my barn which was on his adjoining land but within feet of mine. This filled my area with smoke and viral contamination.

The vet gave me treatment for several cats and medicines to treat them--my dogs that stay in my house and occasionally go outside, had an allegic reaction to same as we are keeping track of any complications .

I am appaulled at peta KILLING instead of treating. Yes this was horrible and got out of hand for this man.

I can not see him denying treatment and or help to clean up the area and take care of the cats especially if he is getting nothing for them however, I can see him denying them the confiscating of a cat to be put to death.

TREATMENT AND CLEAN UP WAS ALL THAT WAS NEEDED NOT THE KILLING OF THE ANIMALS AND THE ISSUE BECOMES PLAIN WHEN STATED THAT THESE NO KILL SHELTERS SHOULD BE BANNED. that would destroy all the work done toward saving lives as the TNR programs have done.

I do say and agree there were horrible situations; however, I do not think it was handled appropriately--treat animals with help for paying for the treatments; help clean the place up and make sure healthy animals are taken there but NOT confiscate and kill

Makes me wonder if there was help from someone else in making these animals sick as they were with the bleeding eyes as the burning of the insectiside containers of plastic rubber made my cats eyes bleed. this all happened within 5 days of the contamination from the neighbor and lasted 2 weeks and still dealing with it.

Thank God that my vet dealt with the situation and knew how to treat the animals including my horses which oldest took dihrrea and their eyes swelled really large.
Something should be done about persons that do this without having to PROVE that is where the problem was when the vet, the contaminated air are there to prove it as well as where he burned the items of evidence I had.

NO KILL shelters are taking money from PETA so think before reacting to such as this.
Was there an investigation into possible contamination from someone else.?????

I bet I don't see this posted.

I first heard of this story when a friend sent me an email from PETA about Caboodle Ranch. Guess what? The email from PETA spoke very little about Caboodle Ranch. It did however make it a point to say that Caboodle Ranch is in Florida. It also made it a point to alert everyone that there is a "dangerous" bill in the Florida Legislature. Here is PETA's real agenda, quoted from their own email:

"But there is still more work to be done! A dangerous bill is currently making its way through Florida's legislature that would force animal shelters to hand over animals to self-proclaimed, unregulated animal "rescues" like Caboodle if the misleading "Animal Rescue Act" (S.B. 818 and H.B. 597) becomes law. Don't let this pass! SPEAK OUT AGAINST THIS BILL NOW!"

Do you know who these unregulated animal rescues are? They are people like you and me who work to rescue animals every day. PETA lumps us all together as incompetent, cruel animal hoarders and abusers. The bill they refer to is the NO-KIll bill that has gained support in Florida as a result of the massacres at Miami-Dade and other shelters in Florida.

In other words, Caboodle Ranch and their cats are is nothing more than pawns in PETA's game to derail no-kill in Florida. I do not trust anything PETA does, puts out or says. I don't know what was happening at Caboodle Ranch, but I do know that there are many competent people involved who oversaw the operation. I also know that PETA only shows you what they want you to see. SO, I reserve judgment on Caboodle Ranch. I fear for the cats, for PETA killed 90% of the cats they took in last year. I also fear that thousands of other animals will die in Florida shelters if PETA is successful in derailing no-kill.

DON'T BE FOOLED! PETA cares nothing for these animals. They only want to stop no-kill in Florida, and they will use anyone and anything to do it

Sorry Mayport Cats, much to all our dismay, Craig bailed out of jail last night. He didn't even spend ONE night in jail. Pathetic excuse for a human being, I don't see how he can sleep at night with all the suffering he has caused - both animal AND human.

I had a look at some of the photos and it was horrible - some cats in terrible condition. But for a long time people defended him or said he was OK. It shows how easy it is to muddy up the clear water of truth. Glad he has been shut down for the cats' sake.

Bond has been set at 250,000. That means Craig must come up with 25,000. From the phone calls and e-mails I've been getting; he may want to stay in jail awhile.

I was there when Animal Control brought cats to Craig and also Craig told me they bring him cats often.

Hi Elisa, so far from what I've read, there may only be 3 yes THREE counts of cruelty. That turns my stomach almost as much as the video. Many cats suffered and and I don't think it's unrealistic to think the number is in the hundreds. As far as your question on who passed them with flying colors, I believe the vet & animal control officer went out there then wrote up a report, I think it was 2011 in the fall or so. I suppose it's similar to the Haven's Acres case also in Florida recently, if I remember animal control had been out there within a week or so prior and gave them a good review too. I just hope all these cats did not die in vain at Caboodle Ranch, the laws leave a lot to be desired.

Elise, I have documentation that strongly suggests that animal control officer, Jamie Willoughby, was one person covering up for Caboodle Ranch. He has been dishonest in his reports amongst other things. He has right out lied that there were no county ordinances violated. However, privately he admitted to me there was a problem. He has been accused of taking cats to Caboodle Ranch himself. The lists goes on and on. Once I get my complaint on him completed, I will share with everyone.

I believe there is more involved with the cover-up but I don't have as much evidence as I have on Jamie Willoughby. I am going to press for an internal investigation on the local authorities. Time will tell.