Dozens Of Dead Cats Removed From Woman's Garage
Magic Mood Jeep©
Dozens Of Dead Cats Removed From Woman's Garage
Animal Shelter Workers Stunned By Neglect Case
POSTED: 10:08 a.m. EST December 3, 2003
RENSSELAER, Ind. -- Officials at Jasper County's animal shelter were
reviewing pet adoption procedures after authorities removed nearly 50 dead
cats from the garage of a woman who offered to help find new homes for
animals.
"We love these animals," shelter employee Karen Adams said Tuesday. "We
thought we were doing a favor by letting them go with her, never dreaming
... we thought we were saving lives."
Prosecutors in LaPorte County charged Kathy Shotsberger, 45, of Michigan
City, with seven counts of animal neglect. She was released Monday on $300
bond. She could face up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine on each
count if convicted.
The Associated Press was unable to contact Shotsberger for comment
Wednesday. There was no number under her name in published listings for
Michigan City, and she was believed to be staying with her mother in
Chicago.
Police arrested Shotsberger on Sunday after officers found cages full of
dead cats, birds and rabbits stacked throughout her garage. In a nearby
modular home officers found 29 live animals, mostly beagles, inside cages or
locked in rooms with floors soaked in waste.
Some of the cages had been loaned to Shotsberger by workers at the Jasper
County shelter in Rensselaer.
Director Paula Wilcox said Shotsberger first took four dogs and 21 cats from
the shelter in April 2002 with the understanding that she would find new
owners for the animals. She last visited the shelter on Nov. 20, when she
was allowed to leave with six cats. She was not charged a fee.
"It's hard to believe what happened," said Wilcox, one of two workers at the
northwest Indiana shelter. "We didn't suspect anything. Kathy had been here
many times."
Adams said Shotsberger returned to the shelter frequently, bringing orders
for specific animals she said she could place with families in her area.
Authorities said it appeared Shotsberger was taking the animals home and
leaving them in cages without food or water. Police said she apparently
became overwhelmed by the number of animals in her care.
Wilcox said she and Adams may begin checking with other animal shelters and
police to see if they had received any complaints before releasing animals
to rescue groups. But with a staff of two and one animal control officer,
such procedures could be time-consuming.
Shotsberger also adopted two beagles from the Porter County animal shelter
on separate occasions about three years ago, said Sandy Ogle, its director.
"That's the only contact we had with her," she said.
--
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Gizela
I don't have a *major* problem with people not liing animals, we all have
our tastes....but why do this to the poor little defenceless things?
GRRRRR
Angela and Gizmo
"Magic Mood Jeep©" <nob...@nowhere.net> wrote in message
news:WVozb.411790$Fm2.418263@attbi_s04...
Alan Erskine
news:bqlrpm$5so$1...@seagoon.newcastle.edu.au...
> Some people should be shot.
>
> I don't have a *major* problem with people not liing animals, we all have
> our tastes....but why do this to the poor little defenceless things?
Oh, but it doesn't say she didn't/doesn't like animals; it says she liked
them too much and became overwhelmed.
--
Alan Erskine
alanterskine(at)hotmail.com
Iraq, America's new Vietnam
Stacey
Stacey :) (who remembers the trouble the wonderful woman went through with
Jim, Zack and Fliss)
"Magic Mood Jeep©" <nob...@nowhere.net> wrote in message
news:WVozb.411790$Fm2.418263@attbi_s04...
Gizela
to my worst enemy.
If she loved the she would've found them good homes. Either that or admitted
defeat by returning them to the shelter. She took the easy way out.
Purrs
Angela
"Alan Erskine" <alane...@optusnet.com.au> wrote in message
news:3fce8729$0$20488$afc3...@news.optusnet.com.au...
Suzie-Q
>
> Why didn't the shelter check on her before giving out the cats, I wonder?
I had the same thought. The shelter is at least partially
responsible for letting these animals go without checking
on them. I could accept not checking if it were only one
or two, but dozens?
8^(~~~ Sue (remove the x to e-mail)
~~~~~~
"I reserve the absolute right to be smarter
today than I was yesterday." -Adlai Stevenson
*************************************************
http://www.suzanne-eckhardt.com/
http://www.intergnat.com/malebashing/
JP Hobbs
someone should put her in a shelter and throw away
the key. J. P.
-L.
>
> Dozens Of Dead Cats Removed From Woman's Garage
> Animal Shelter Workers Stunned By Neglect Case
> POSTED: 10:08 a.m. EST December 3, 2003
> RENSSELAER, Ind. -- Officials at Jasper County's animal shelter were
> reviewing pet adoption procedures after authorities removed nearly 50 dead
> cats from the garage of a woman who offered to help find new homes for
> animals.
> "We love these animals," shelter employee Karen Adams said Tuesday. "We
> thought we were doing a favor by letting them go with her, never dreaming
> ... we thought we were saving lives."
This is a big wake-up call for anyone who places animals in foster
homes. Do home inspections!
I once worked (at a vet) with a woman who did rescue, and had all
sorts of animals - rabbits, turtles, dogs, cats - supposedly her house
was a *wreck* and the animals weren't as well kept as they shpuld have
been. She was the meanest b!tch I have ever met - smacked cats and was
just abusive. I wouldn't let her take care of an amoeba.
-L.
Hopitus2
cats - to take them from shelter - but: to *not feed or water them*? When I
come home from work, the Evil 3 start nagging for their midnight "snack"
food spread......and that's just after 8 or 9 hours or so. Confined in
cages, unable even to seek out water nor anything to eat.....my blood boils
in its arteries (probably good for the blockages, but still....) imagining
this. Some people just can't stand to see anything hungry-looking, and I'm
one of these.....talk about wanting to kick someone's butt
*bad*................smacking is one thing. Starving is another.
"-L." <k3_...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:c7b085a.03120...@posting.google.com...
: "Magic Mood Jeep©" <nob...@nowhere.net> wrote in message
Adrian
> http://www.theindychannel.com/news/2678796/detail.html
>
This woman should spend six months in jail without food or water.
--
Adrian
A House Is Not A Home, Without A Cat.
Cat Protector
--
Panther TEK: Staying On Top Of All Your Computer Needs!
www.members.cox.net/catprotector/panthertek
Cat Galaxy: All Cats, All The Time!
www.catgalaxymedia.com
"Magic Mood Jeep©" <nob...@nowhere.net> wrote in message
news:WVozb.411790$Fm2.418263@attbi_s04...
Napoleon
>
> I don't have a *major* problem with people not liing animals, we all have
> our tastes....but why do this to the poor little defenceless things?
>
> GRRRRR
>
"collector's syndrome" and it's a form of obsessive/compulsive
disorder. These people compulsively collect animals until they are
overwhelmed and they are in denial with respect to the conditions they
create for the animals. This sort of thing happens unfortunately on a
regular basis. I read an article about this problem within the past
few weeks somewhere and if I can find where it is I will post it. It
is really a sad situation and AFAIR from the article these people will
even repeat the behaviour after they are caught and punished. It is
difficult to stop them at least the first time before things get out
of hand since law enforcement can't go into someone's home without
cause and by the time outsiders can see that something is wrong the
conditions for the animals are often abysmal as in this case.
I seem to remember reading that at least some shelter personnel keep
an eye out for people who are repeatedly trying to adopt additional
animals or take them off the shelter's hands on some pretext because
they know that these type of people are out there and they are very
persistent.
-L.
> Well, as Joyce points out, woman may have thought of herself as "loving" the
> cats - to take them from shelter - but: to *not feed or water them*? When I
> come home from work, the Evil 3 start nagging for their midnight "snack"
> food spread......and that's just after 8 or 9 hours or so. Confined in
> cages, unable even to seek out water nor anything to eat.....my blood boils
> in its arteries (probably good for the blockages, but still....) imagining
> this. Some people just can't stand to see anything hungry-looking, and I'm
> one of these.....talk about wanting to kick someone's butt
> *bad*................smacking is one thing. Starving is another.
I guess I don't see a lot of difference between the two. Physical
pain is physical abuse, just as inflicting psychological pain is
psychological abuse - both forms of animal abuse - starving and
beating - inflict both types of pain.
-l.
HRFLTiger
> Why didn't the shelter check on her before giving out the cats, I wonder?
>
> Stacey :) (who remembers the trouble the wonderful woman went through with
> Jim, Zack and Fliss)
>
Talking of whom,
Last I recently heard, Fliss is still with Andrea Fuller and doing
exceptionally well - she has palled up with Grace and they are now
bestest buds. Jim I understand has settled into his new home and is
exceptionally happy, and Zac, the poor little chap who was so ill, is
doing very well with his large feline family at Cynthias, lives in a
huge house in one of the poshest parts of London, and is desperately
loved and happy.
Alls well that ends well I guess.
Helen M
Marina
"HRFLTiger" <helen...@virgin.net> wrote
> Talking of whom,
>
> Last I recently heard, Fliss is still with Andrea Fuller and doing
> exceptionally well - she has palled up with Grace and they are now
> bestest buds. Jim I understand has settled into his new home and is
> exceptionally happy, and Zac, the poor little chap who was so ill, is
> doing very well with his large feline family at Cynthias, lives in a
> huge house in one of the poshest parts of London, and is desperately
> loved and happy.
>
> Alls well that ends well I guess.
Thanks for the update, Helen. So nice to hear they are all doing so well.
--
Marina, Frank and Nikki
marina (dot) kurten (at) pp (dot) inet (dot) fi
lrulan
them. I'm so happy to hear that they are happy and loved where they are. God
takes care of his creatures.
Jazz & his mama
--
Irulan
from the stars we came, to the stars we return
from now until the end of time
"HRFLTiger" <helen...@virgin.net> wrote in message
news:15dc6534.03120...@posting.google.com...
LeeAnne
to help the critters, believe that taking them from the shelter will save
their lives and, probably, originally start out as looking for a home for
them. However, as anybody who has ever tried to find a home for an animal
knows, you run out of homes fast - neighbors, friends and family may adopt a
critter, but not more than once usually. It's not an easy task.
So, this well meaning person suddenly has all kinds of animals they cannot
bear to bring back to the shelter, as they probably think they will be put
down if they do. It is an OCD - much like people who cannot throw away any
trash, etc.
LeeAnne
IMO - The ones who should be shot are the ones running the puppy/kitten
mills - now they are just a-holes!
"Napoleon" <Napo...@myeweb.com> wrote in message
news:91727c64.03120...@posting.google.com...
us...@domain.invalid
She was let go on only $300. What if each of those contained kids, as some
of our cats are to us?
NEMO
wrote:
Semitic sound to it. Why is anyone ever surprised by what these
cretins do? I've seen articles where people are having sex with their
pets. I certainly hope that none of the readership here is doing that.