Starving felines find new lives

The 53 cats rescued from a La Pine trailer home are on their way to new lives filled with love and responsible care, according to the Humane Society of Central Oregon.

Due to a cooperative effort among animal welfare agencies, 52 of the 53 cats are on their way to a new life. One cat died due to health complications on Wednesday, May 7.

Earlier in the week, Humane Society of Central Oregon staff transported seven cats to Greenhill Humane Society in Eugene, five to The Humane Society of the Ochocos and two to the Humane Society of Redmond. On Friday, May 9, Troy Kerstetter, Animal Welfare Director for the Humane Society of Central Oregon, transported the remaining 12 gray cats to a sanctuary in Vancouver, Washington, and foster homes in Idaho.

Twenty-six of the 52 felines were adopted or have been spoken for at the Humane Society of Central Oregon.

Adoption follow-ups found the cats to be adjusting well to their new homes and slowly learning what it means to have a regular source of food and water. The veterinarians expect the cats to make a full recovery in a month after prolonged starvation and dehydration.

Generous monetary and food donations allowed the Humane Society to provide the necessary care to stabilize the cats.

"It is a miracle that this very unfortunate animal neglect case has such a positive and heartwarming closure," said Kerstetter. "The size of our animal shelter is so inadequate we had to rely on the assistance of other agencies. What an amazing outpouring of assistance from organizations throughout Oregon and even neighboring states."