When people are struggling with mental health issues, animals often bear the brunt of their pain.
Following reports of many cats on rural property, Alberta SPCA Peace Officer Karen was saddened to find almost 30 cats living in a small trailer home on rural property.
While the cats appeared to be fed and were not obviously sick or injured, their living conditions were appalling. The strong smell of ammonia was evident even before going inside. Once our Peace Officer crossed the threshold, it was even worse. Inside, feces coated the floor, and upon closer inspection the cats were found to have scratchy and itchy ear mites.
“The cats definitely couldn’t remain here for a long time,” said Officer Karen. “Even though they weren’t in immediate danger, conditions like this can lead to chronic health problems and, in the worst cases, death.”
A Collaborative Approach
It first looked like a distressing case of intentional neglect, but the situation was more complex than that.
“The caregiver told me she was living with several mental health conditions,” said Officer Karen. “She was getting the help she needed, but it consistently took her away from her home. In the meantime, her cat situation had gotten well out of her hands.”
As it so often is, she had started with just a few pet cats but feeding them outdoors had attracted others to the property. Without proper spaying and neutering, there were now several litters of kittens, and the situation had simply become overwhelming.
“When I talked with the caregiver, she was clearly distraught at how this turned out,” said Officer Karen. “She never thought it could get this bad. Nothing about this was intentional, she simply did not have the capacity to care for the cats.”
The caregiver had arranged for food and water to be left for the cats, but no one was there to provide proper oversight and care for these animals. Officer Karen knew a collaborative approach, rather than an aggressive one, would be the best way forward — both for the caregiver and for the animals in distress.
“She was eager to have our help,” said Officer Karen. “It was evident she had been trying to deal with the cats herself but was making no progress.”
Cat Rescue
With the caregiver on board, Officer Karen began the difficult process of capturing the 27 cats.
“Some were very friendly,” she said. “They came right up to me for pets.”
But not all were so approachable, puffing up when she came close or bolting at her sight. About half the cats were taken at first, but the remaining ones were afraid or aggressive.
“Because they were still being fed and not in immediate need of veterinary care, I felt comfortable leaving some of them behind temporarily,” she said.
The caregiver continued being receptive to advice and guidance, placing and regularly checking live traps for the remaining cats. After a few days, they were captured and on their way to adoption partners.
Three cats remained with the caregiver, on the condition that they would be spayed or neutered. We provided resources to help find low-cost veterinary care and left her with a list of contacts for nearby rescues and pet food banks that may be able to support her should she need it. We also committed to follow-up visits to ensure the situation remained stable.
“Building a rapport with this caregiver was essential,” said Officer Karen. “This individual clearly cared about her cats. She was respectful and communicative with me the entire time. But even though I knew she wanted what was best for them, I don’t know what she would have done if we hadn’t been called out there. I don’t know what would have happened to those cats.”
Alberta SPCA peace officers respond to thousands of calls per year, investigating animals in distress across the province. While seizure remains a crucial part of animal welfare, education and understanding are equally important for long-term prevention.
With 80% of our funding coming from donations, we rely on generous Albertans to enable us to be on the front lines of animal protection.
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