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Colony Of 25 Neighborhood Cats Has Been Halved
Filed Under:Cats, Feral Cats, Sean Adams, Westchester County SPCA, Yonkers
Milly, a 13-week-old kitten waits to be re-homed at The Society for Abandoned Animals sanctuary in Sale, Manchester which is facing an urgent cash crisis and is facing closure on July 27, 2010 in Manchester, England. The Society for Abandoned Animals exists entirely on public support and unless it can raise GBP 50,000 in the next couple of months it will have to close down. The registered charity started in 1967 and in the last five years alone the charity has rescued and found homes for more than 1,000 cats, 290 rabbits and 262 dogs. The rescue centre is one of the many who are suffering a downfall in donations due to the economic recession.

YONKERS, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — The Westchester County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was searching this weekend for someone who has been poisoning cats in Yonkers.

As WCBS 880’s Sean Adams reported, reports of the suspicious deaths of three neighborhood cats along Bretton Road surfaced on March 18. Two other cats were found disoriented and unable to stand and also died.

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Soon afterward, 10 more cats also disappeared from the area.

The feral cats have been in the neighborhood for years and have been watched over and fed by neighbors, police said.

The cat colony totaled 25, but was cut in half, said Ernest Lungaro of SPCA law enforcement.

“A lot of the ailments for the cats was consistent with something like rat poison, and the fact that the population decreased by almost half, we definitely knew something was going on,” Lungaro said. “Whether it was intentional, we’re not sure.”

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Central Animal Hospital in Scarsdale has provided spay and neuter services and medical care for eight of the surviving cats in the colony, and have provided treatment and care for the first four cats who appeared to have been poisoned.

Meanwhile, the SPCA continued this weekend to search for the person who poisoned the cats, and was offering a reward of $1,000.

“How can you do something so cruel to a little animal who doesn’t harm anyone and walks around minding her own business?” Kiley Blackman, founder of Animal Defenders of Westchester, said in a news release. “Any creep with a grudge thinks they can get away with hurting animals, children, those who can’t defend themselves — but you will be found. Studies show that those who harm animals are likely to harm people as well. You will be caught.”

Anyone with information was asked to contact SPCA of Westchester Humane Law Enforcement, at (914) 941-7797.

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