Once hoarded, cats to be moved from KC Animal Shelter

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - For a month now, the Kansas City Animal Shelter has been home to a number of cats taken from a woman’s home. At first, more than 150 lived in the shelter’s basement. Disease has taken the lives of more than 80. Now, just 77 cats remain.

The city held the cats for just under a month before making a decision regarding their futures. The owner of the cat wouldn’t willingly relinquish the animals, so it took a judge’s decision for the city to have authority. A judge ruled last Tuesday that the city would take possession of the cats.

According to that judge, four of the animals will be returned to the original owner. City statute says that a homeowner is only allowed to keep four animals in a home at the same time. As of Tuesday, the owner owes the city $2,240 for boarding those four cats over the last month. She can take the cats once she has paid and once they have been spayed and neutered.

Now, the cats are being moved to Spay and Neuter Kansas City. The group, along with Love 4 Paws, plan to treat the cats' illnesses,fix them and give each vaccinations.

The two groups hope to be able to socialize the cats enough to eventually make them available for adoption. Stephanie Henshaw, of Love 4 Paws, said some of the cats will require time in a barn to further their socialization. Others will be ready for homes quickly.

The Spay and Neuter Kansas City facility is big enough to house the cats. However, the group needs volunteers to play with and clean the cats. Also, the group will need donations, both physical and monetary, to be able to provide that level of care.

Henshaw explained, “It’s going to take a lot more than a small group of individuals like Love 4 Paws and Spay and Neuter Kansas City in order to help all these guys."

She continued, “At this point in the game, we are thinking the worst of whatever it was is over. The cats are cleaning themselves, they are eating, they are playing.”

For more information, log onto the Spay and Neuter Kansas City website or the Love 4 Paws website.