Tim Willert
A feral cat and two kittens who got sick and died while housed at
the Glendale Humane Society did not receive medical treatment because
of their unruly dispositions, shelter officials told the City Council
on Tuesday.
"Because they were wild, no treatment was given," Humane Society
General Manager Fred DeLange told the council.
A third kitten who took sick after its siblings died is being
treated by a veterinarian and responding well, DeLange said, adding
the kitten was more cooperative than her siblings.
The mother and her litter were caged and left at the shelter July
16, DeLange told the council.
"They appeared to be in good health," he said.
Two of the kittens were found dead July 25. The mother and the
remaining kitten became ill the following day.
Each animal was stricken with an upper respiratory illness, a
condition similar to a chest cold that Humane Society board member
Paulette Ramsay Wood said cannot be cured by medication.
The mother was euthanized Aug. 1, DeLange said.
Councilman Bob Yousefian questioned why the mother received no
medical treatment between July 24 and her death.
"Why not just put her to sleep?" Yousefian asked. "Why are you
making the animal suffer?"
The city, meanwhile, is investigating whether the animals died
from neglect, allegations leveled at the Humane Society last week by
animal activist Chrissi Fernandez.
"Don't tell me these animals were not [able to be treated],"
Fernandez told the council Tuesday. "Whether it's feral or whether
it's domesticated cats, none of them are receiving treatment."
Wood, meanwhile, announced the Humane Society is close to hiring a
medical director, a decision she said wasn't "in reaction to the
recent events, since negotiations had long been underway."
The organization is also searching for a full-time licensed
veterinarian technician to carry out a medical director's treatment
plans.
"Hopefully, this action will serve to restate the new board's
commitment to improve clinical care needs at our facility," Wood told
the council.
