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Over 100 Of 225 Cats Seized Euthanized; Couple Released On Bond
July 2, 2013
The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office and Animal Services removed 225 cats from a Milton home Monday afternoon and two people were taken to jail.
Along with Santa Rosa County Animal control, deputies removed the animals after serving a search warrant at the home in the 4000 block of Bettian Ave at the Kirkham Kattery Rescue, a non -profit shelter. The search warrant was executed for the violation of several animal related Florida statutes, according to Deputy Rich Aloy, public information officer for the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office.
Allan and Ella Kirkham were arrested on animal cruelty charges and booked into the Santa Rosa County Jail. They were released on $3,500 bond each.
Under the direction of a local veterinarian, county staff worked until 12:30 a.m. conducting preliminary assessments of the cats that were thought to be in the most dire condition.
Just over 100 cats were found to be “in grave medical condition, including all testing positive for feline leukemia, and were humanly euthanized last night. The current priority is a thorough medical evaluation of the remaining cats. With any intake of such a large number of animals at one time, the process can take several days to a week to gain a more accurate picture of the situation,” said Joy Tsubooka, Santa Rosa County public information officer.
The evaluation process is ongoing for the remaining cats, including testing for feline leukemia. The cats are housed in a non-public, quarantined area where all precautions are being taken to prevent the spread of any potential contiguous diseases to the shelter animals currently available for adoption. Feline leukemia, is one of the most commonly diagnosed causes of disease and death in domestic cats, and along with upper respiratory diseases, is extremely contagious and can be hard to control once introduced into a shelter environment.
A plan on how to move forward which considers the legal status, overall health of the cats, and general public safety including the potential risk of contiguous diseases to the community, will be developed based on the recommendation of a veterinary doctor once a more detailed assessment of all the remaining animals is complete and more information is available, Tsubook said.
“At this time, it is too early to make plans for the adoption or moving of the cats to other shelters, those decisions are pending on the results of the more thorough health evaluation and veterinary recommendations,” she said.
Feline leukemia can incubate for three months and cats can show no signs of the disease. The virus is spread through direct contact including grooming, fighting, sneezing, litter boxes, food and water bowls. It can also be passed to kittens through the mother’s milk.
Anyone who has adopted a cat from Kirkham Kattery Rescue is encouraged to seek immediate veterinary attention for their pet, county officials said.
Deputies acted after receiving information from Santa Rosa County Animal Control regarding heath nuisance violations, along with allegations of animals that were infected with contagious diseases being placed in adoptions.
An undercover deputy was sent to the home to make an adoption. The cats that were adopted where taken to a veterinarian immediately for a health inspection. Deputies said the cats were found to have feline leukemia, an upper respiratory infection, bronchitis, a flea infestation, tapeworm infestation and several other diseases.
Comments
24 Responses to “Over 100 Of 225 Cats Seized Euthanized; Couple Released On Bond”
We live in the country and fortunately have a totally fenced property, in the past 30 years there is no way we could count the strays that have showed up at our fence, my husband says our dogs tell them ” stick around softies live here” However it is heartbreaking how many there are from little brand new beagle puppies, dropped off in the middle of the road, to dogs of every age and breed. . we have kept some of them for the humane society till room could be found, and some have never left us, we have a large graveyard, of cast offs we came to love, and who gave us great joy and devotion. Most had heart worm that had to be addressed. Perhaps the owners knew it and just dumped them out.
UNtil people learn to put themselves in an animals place and another humans place, they will never adopt a respect for our enviornment and the creatures that enhabit it along with us…….Hoarding or whatever there is still no excuse for this couples environment, and they were making money from these poor cats, right? .
All the talk and innuendo about how wonderful these folks are is sickening. Perhaps their heart was in the right place in the beginning but there is no excuse for filth, starvation, and infestation.
The facts speak for themselves as reported. Too much of this type and other types of animal cruelty goes on unpunished in Santa Rosa and Escambia counties.
I say stiffer penalties and jail time for the wanton and deliberate abuse of animals.
You judges and lawyers get a grip, grow a set, and do your job. If the laws need changing then it is up to us bu mostly, the laws are there are they not but not being enforced. If they are not then lets get them changed.
These people went to Paws in Fort Walton Beach and picked up cats on a regular basis, why wasn’t this questioned by Paws? If someone comes to my rescue and wants to adopt more than one cat or kitten the first thing I do is a home visit! This whole thing could have been prevented with a little bit of leg work. These peoe were hoarders and nothing more. I also have cats and kittens that come to me ill and in bad shape; they are isolated until they are well and vet releases them. Kirkhams is not a rescue it is and has been a death sentence for quite some time. Lets have some county regs on these kinds of places
I did adopt a cat from them in 2010. The poor cat had ringworms all over him and malnutritioned. He was scared of everything and between me and the vet it took us almost 5 months to get him back to normal. Before I adopted Milo I was going to get other cats that were there and he( the owner) kept saying ,”No, he is mine or no, she is mine.” so they were not in it for the cats they were hoarders and they were covering it with saying they were a shelter. The house smelled so bad and almost every cat was sick. I turned him in then but was told he was the head of the Milton humane society. so go figure!
225??? these guys need mental help
I can’t believe that they would spend tax dollars on testing 86 cats for leukemia. . .AMAZING.
True enough There is some problems But a fire happen they took my sister cat When no one else would
They love cats. They have been working to help cats for years. 5 years ago they were even helping owners to get their cats fixed with shots and tags. Not sure what has happened since then but I do not think they had any bad intent. I think they wanted to help and because of the huge amount of abandoned and homeless cats, they ended up completely overwhelmed
Glad this couple were relieved of their duty, obviously they were in over their heads.
Unbelievable! If you choose to have pets, make certain that you are able to properly care for them.. Veterinarians, meds, and food cost if you have only one, but most of all, they all deserve love and companionship..
Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) is a retrovirus that infects cats. FeLV can be transmitted between infected cats when the transfer of saliva or nasal secretions is involved. If not defeated by the animal’s immune system, the virus can be lethal. A disease caused by this virus is a form of cancer of the blood cells called lymphocytes (a leukemia).
First discovered in the 1960s, feline leukemia virus is a transmittable RNA retrovirus that can severely inhibit a cat’s immune system. It is one of the most commonly diagnosed causes of disease and death in domestic cats.
Because the virus doesn’t always manifest symptoms right away, any new cat entering a household—and any sick cat—should be tested for FeLV.
The FeLV virus is shed in many bodily fluids, including saliva, nasal secretions, urine, feces and blood. FeLV is most commonly transmitted through direct contact, mutual grooming and through sharing litter boxes, food and water bowls. It can also be passed in utero or through mother’s milk. Outdoor cats who get into fights with other cats can transmit the disease through bites and scratches. It should be noted that healthy cats over three months of age and vaccinated for FeLV are highly unlikely to contract the virus from another cat.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions….
There’s a lot of comments about the conditions of the animals and they are justified. But the real issue, I think, is how could two people think they could possibly care for over two hundred cats?? It would take non-stop work to provide just minimal essential care. I understand that it didn’t start with two hundred, it grew over time, but come on. There is a mental competency issue here.
Sad, really. They probably meant no harm. Some people have OCD-Hoarding..a mental disease..They have a very hard time, parting with cats, especially.
WoW I only have 3 cats and I sometimes struggle to take care of them properly. food, litter, and medicines monthly to keep fleas and other bugs away are pretty costly. How anyone can have that many cats is crazy? Besides getting all of them spayed or neutered also. all my cats are “fixed” so they wont keep producing.
This sounds more like someone wanting to do good for the animals– but it got out of hand. I still hear people say they want their cat or dog to have a litter and they can “always find a home for them”. I picked up two pups on the side of 99 one Sunday afternoon that were covered with fleas and were just skin and bones. Someone had dumped them there because there was not a house any place close. The next day I took them to my vet, he had to put both down due to a virus infection that could not be treated. I wonder what the person who dumped the two pups was thinking.
Many people including me say they would get 100 cats if they hit the lotto and could afford to take care of them. I can’t stand to go to the pound and see abandoned animals which is how this animal saving habit starts.
Their hearts were in the right place but looks like it quickly got out of control. Does anyone know it they were trying to sell these cats?
>>Did none of the local vets ever report constantly treating newly adopted sick cats for how long, on a constant basis?
Several vets and multiple people filed complaints as far back as 2008, according to an arrest report.
Did none of the local vets ever report constantly treating newly adopted sick cats for how long, on a constant basis?
Maybe some of the vets were in on a scheme to be sure NOT to report Kirkham Kattery Rescue, Inc., as that would impact their business if those adopted were healthy.
This has been going on for years with these people…adopting out sick animals. It’s about time it was ended. Worms and fleas are treatable and any animal that is adopted out should have a clean bill of health from a Vet. If the neighbors can smell cat stench then obviously the cats were not being cared for properly.
Unfortunately I suspect the county will now kill all the cats, healthy or not because there is not enough room to care for them. No good deed goes unpunished…even though I am sure the county means well by taking these animals.
Feline Leukemia? I guess you missed the parts after feline leukemia like an upper respiratory infection,bronchitis,tapeworm and flea infestation which are all contagious. Treatable but contagious. Along with other diseases. The feline leukemia is just the tip of the iceberg and if these poor animals have those health problems and aren’t being treated I’d hate to think of the conditions they were more than likely living in. Wake up..animal cruelty is animal cruelty whether its called neglect or feline leukemia.
well, I am glad they removed the animals. Feline Leukemia was only 1 of the many health problems. Unfortunately the cats will pay the price for what the so called rescuers let happen to them. Some will pay the ultimate price. I am a cat owner and I know that I can only properly care for 1 cat, so that is all we have. She is treated like a queen and she knows she is loved. I wonder if those cats got a new toy or were loved on, scratched in their favorite spot. I just imagine they didn’t get anything but food and water if that. poor cats I hope that they do get loving homes.
typical government bureaucracy. I certainly hope they do not try to charge these individuals because the animals have feline leukemia. this is a genetic condition and in no way caused by these people. The article clearly states “feline Leukemia” not Feline Leukemia virus. there is a difference as one is a disease and the other is a virus that can cause the disease. approximately 40% of cats in shelters are positive for Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) and approximately 3% of house cats are positive as well, but that was not mentioned either. There is no cure for Feline Leukemia.