An Oklahoma sanctuary, known for its light-hearted videos of adoptable dogs in cowboy hats and bandanas, faced a somber reality one morning. The staff arrived to find a shocking and unfortunately common scene for shelters and rescues nationwide.
Someone had done something unthinkable and cruel, for the second time in months. Fortunately, compassionate individuals rallied to show the decency and care lacking in a few bad actors.
Over 15 Cats Left in Cages in the Rain
Springtime overwhelms all rescues with animals needing care. However, nobody could have prepared to see multiple cages of cats left overnight in the rain.
“We try to stay positive on here most of the time and bring people smiles with dogs in cowboy hats living their best lives, but some days, we have to show you what we see too much of right now,” shared Free To Live Animal Sanctuary.
Images via Facebook/Free to Live Animal Sanctuary
Multiple crates contained over 15 cats, exposed to the rain all night on a Saturday. Two cats managed to escape and were found crying in a nearby drainage ditch.
“We will have to spend the morning trying to trap them and hope we get to them before the elements do,” the rescue stated.
You could see the terror in the cats’ eyes as they were treated like garbage.
Operations Director Explains on Local News
Operations Director Kaycee Chance explained what happened to KOCO 5.
“I’m thankful that I saw them when I did because I don’t think they would have lasted much longer,” said Chance. “They were all cold; they were all soaking wet, sitting in their own feces; their own urine.”
Oklahoma Sanctuary Joins Rescue to Raise Awareness
With 50 to 100 intake requests daily, the rescuers needed help. In their rural area of Guthrie, there’s no shelter to help in such situations.
Partnering with Helping Community Paws and Claws (HCPC), a Logan County nonprofit, they offered a $700 reward for information leading to those responsible. They also aimed to raise awareness about the critical need for spaying and neutering animals.
“Just enraged me because there’s other options. We’ve been trying to educate people on how important it is to spay and neuter your animals,” said Lisa New from HCPC.
30 Cats Dumped Months Earlier
In May, New and HCPC took in 30 cats similarly dumped on the street in Logan County, Oklahoma. They were in a life-threatening situation, exposed to the elements.
“Probably a matter of a couple hours, and they probably would have overheated,” said New. “It doesn’t take much for a cat to get overheated and die.”
In that case, police arrested three people who will likely face animal cruelty charges.
The Unending Challenge
Although rescuers are helping each cat possible, the overall situation is out of control. People must take responsibility to spay and neuter their pets to control the pet population.
“It’s like trying to empty the ocean with a bucket,” said Chance. “Every time we have a dump like this, it’s just a reminder that people aren’t taking it seriously and the consequences are devastating.”
The 15 Cats Are Recovering Thanks to Donations
In an update, Free to Live shared that the 15 cats are recovering with help from donations. They even managed to catch the two cats that escaped into the nearby woods.
“Thank you to everyone for their shares and donations and comments. It means more to us than we could ever express here. Please keep it coming – it takes a huge financial commitment to help 15 all at once. We were able to catch the last two who were hiding in the woods,” they said.
After getting all the cats cleaned up and dried off, they were feeling much better.
“The afternoon was spent drying everyone with towels and getting their temps back up and cozy. This morning they are moving around and eating like champs,” Free to Live shared.
Reporting the Incident
The rescuers reported the incident to authorities. Now, they can get back to helping all the cats prepare for new loving homes.
“We did make a report with Logan County and they are checking any cameras in the area. We know it hurts everyone to see this happening again and again. For now, we will focus on getting all these kids spayed and neutered and ready for new homes.”
