Bloke turns up at rescue charity with 76 cats in again of his automobile – ‘I can not do it’
A crate full of cats piled on top of one another was found in the back of the motor, with loose cats discovered in the foot wells and on the dashboard
Hordes of cats were given up(Image: Hector’s House Cat Rescue Team / SWNS)
A man took 76 cats to a rescue charity in the back of his car – as he handed over a total of 112, saying he can’t look after them anymore. The unwanted moggies found themselves without a home as their former owner begged for help.
Hector’s House Cat Rescue answered the door to the caller who said he “can’t do it” and needed them to take the felines.
Waiting for them was a crate full of cats piled on top of one another in the back of his car, with loose cats in the foot wells and on the dashboard. The group then began “wrangling” between 20 and 30 loose cats, securing them in carriers.
They then took the cats out of the crate one-by-one, counting a total of 76 cats.
The charity has helped the man(Image: Hector’s House Cat Rescue Team / SWNS)
After learning there were more at the man’s home, they organised a collection on November 8 – bringing the total to 112.
Hector’s in Torquay in Devon has now returned five cats to the man.
The man has ended up with five cats only(Image: Hector’s House Cat Rescue Team / SWNS)
Founder Zara Oldfield, 58, said: “In front of our rescue manager was a very upset person. He said ‘I just can’t do it anymore, I need you to take these cats’.
“We had to move them into the centre. There was no choice.
“We didn’t have space, but we can’t let these cats that are not well stay there. The ones at the bottom of the crate didn’t look well at all.
“We had a long chat with the person surrendering these cats and it became clear there were more at his property.
An unnamed man asked for help(Image: Hector’s House Cat Rescue Team / SWNS)
“He didn’t know how many more there were.
“We have contacts with the RSPCA and explained the situation to see if they could provide any space on Sunday morning.
“By lunchtime they’d arranged for several branches to attend and take cats straight away from site.
“Because the property was a little away from the car park we created a chain and as we secured the cats we passed them down and put them into the appropriate vans.
“They were all photographed and assessed. Some went straight to the vets because they weren’t well and a couple had breathing difficulties.”
The rescue charity already had 60 cats in their care, split between foster homes and the centre.
Hordes of cats were given up by the man(Image: Hector’s House Cat Rescue Team / SWNS)
Their priority was getting them to the vets to have them all neutered, microchipped, flea treated, parasite treated, and health checked. They have now completed all checks with help from Griffiths Veterinary Centre and Estuary Vets Topsham.
The RSPCA has now taken 47 cats to different branches and Margaret Green Animal Rescue in Tavistock took 16. They agreed to return five of the man’s cats once they had been neutered and microchipped.
Now there are 44 of these cats still in the charity’s care and they are said to be doing “remarkably well” with most just “grubby” and underweight.
Zara said: “He’s made the right decision. It’s not just the cat that needed help.
“The owner needed help desperately. We’ll be looking for homes from next week.
“I’d like to point out that neutering is the most important thing you can do to avoid this situation and for the health of your animal.”
