UPDATE (11/22/22 9 p.m.)
Melvin Carr, 37, of Johnston, has been arrested and charged with multiple counts of animal neglect in connection with a case last month where 20 cats were abandoned in an apartment with no food or water. The ARL assisted Johnston Police with the case, rescuing 19 living cats and recovering 1 deceased kitten. After recovering in our care, most of the cats have now been adopted and 3 are currently available for adoption.
It happened again.
I can’t believe I’m having to tell you about another large-scale cat rescue, just days after our last one. Sadly, this one could have been much worse – 20 cats and kittens were abandoned in an apartment with no food or water.
When the urgent call for help came from the Johnston Police Department, we rushed to the scene. It wasn’t only what the ARL Rescue Team saw that was horrifying, it was also the smell of the feces-filled apartment that assaulted their noses and the heavy ammonia in the air that caused their eyes to burn. There was no doubt the situation was dire.
The rescue began immediately, but it wasn’t easy. Cats and kittens scurried to hide inside the ripped-up couches that were left behind and under the cabinets where the baseboards had previously been. Everything was covered in trash, feces, cockroaches, and more. Had the apartment maintenance not carefully demolished the cabinets to help us rescue the cats who were hiding, it could have potentially taken days to get them to come out on their own – days these cats and kittens didn’t have.
Tragically, among the 19 living cats, we also found a 4-6 week-old kitten who had not survived these horrendous conditions. These are the moments that break all of our hearts, but we take some comfort that there is still hope for the 19 who, with your help, will now have a second chance.
They were so scared. They were so hungry. And yet, they were so sweet.
Back at the ARL, our Miracle Medical Team began evaluating each cat. Most of the cats were thin, with visible scrapes or wounds, possibly from fighting in the dangerous, food-scarce conditions. Others had eye infections, gum infections, upper respiratory infections, ear mites, worms – the list goes on and on.
With your help, these 19 cats and kittens can get the care they need. Please give now.
While these large-scale rescue efforts are becoming all too familiar, we cannot become numb to the suffering.
Abandoned animals need you. Without your help, there would be no one else to answer the call and I can’t imagine what would happen then. Please give today to help give these cats a fighting chance and ensure help will be there when the next call comes. We know it will come, we just don’t know when.
P.S.: When you donate to help these cats and kittens today or join our Loyal Friends Club monthly giving program, you’ll automatically be enrolled to receive exclusive updates on their progress.
