Information going around on social media concerning the cats brought in to Butte County Animal Control in Oroville, California after being rescued from the California wildfires has caused an uproar. Judging from several posts over the last hour (which are flooding my inbox), the cats are safe.
Right now it’s leaning more toward gossip than truth.
Here’s what’s being said on social media
“Butte County deemed hundreds of intakes as “ferals”. Refused to allow access to owners and publish their photos. They also refuse to extend the date after BUTTE COUNTY came into compliance. PARADISE AND MAGALIA your CATS are going to be KILLED on MONDAY. Call Board of Supervisors 530.552.5000″
Information posted on the Facebook Camp Fire Pet Rescue and Reunification group
“We’re getting a lot of inquiries about the “feral” cats at Butte County. Our team is in direct contact with their shelter manager. All “ferals” are listed on their site for potential owners to view. They are setting up barn cat programs so that the “ferals” who are not claimed by their owners will be given good homes with human caretakers. NONE will be euthanized for being ferals. Please help us correct the rumors that are going around regarding this.”
The truth
Click here to view many of the cats being cared for. The following was posted December 29 on the website
“12/29/18: WE ARE IN TRANSITION, MOVING ANIMALS TO MORE COMFORTABLE AND EQUIPPED ACCOMMODATIONS IN THE AREA. WE ARE WORKING CLOSELY WITH BUTTE COUNTY ANIMAL CONTROL TO UPDATE THE LOCATION OF THE ANIMALS WHICH CURRENTLY APPEAR HERE, AS WELL AS ADDING NEW DOGS AND CATS.
Updated 12/29/18 9:30pm
If you don’t see your cat below, please visit our resources page for a list of locations where animals have gone for specialized care.
Please feel free to add any information I may have left out. It would be difficult to judge a cat by its temperament following such a traumatic event. Let’s hope all of these poor kitties are reunited with the families who love and care for them.
Yes, some may indeed be feral but many are probably cats who were separated from their owners due to the evacuation timeframe where people literally had to run for their lives to escape the fires.
There’s still a slim chance the rumor could be true but the evidence doesn’t back that up. People were saying photos weren’t being shown of the found cats and the website has an entire page of the photos.
The moral of this article is to judge for yourself. I just wanted to present both sides of the story. Chances are if it were true those in charge have already rethought their decision and will give the cats more time to be reunited with their family.