Spokane7
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February 13, 2010 in City
Hoarders have 40-plus more cats
Police say they’re watching couple in Bonners Ferry
A woman believed to be Cheryl Criswell is seen at the Criswell home in Bonners Ferry on Thursday. Local law enforcement has been notified because of the more than 40 cats living with Cheryl and Ed Criswell in three travel trailers.
(Full-size photo)(All photos)
The couple involved three years ago in Idaho’s worst cat-hoarding case have moved to Bonners Ferry and are attracting complaints from neighbors about their cats.
Neighbors have spoken to Boundary County sheriff’s deputies about Ed and Cheryl Criswell, who live in three travel trailers on rented property in Bonners Ferry. They share their home with 40 to 50 cats, deputies said. Neighbors told the deputies the unneutered animals come onto their property, spray their belongings and fight with their cats. They also fear some of the cats are sick and will infect their pets.
“It’s the cats. They can’t take care of them. It affects everybody,” said Matt Riley, who lives across the street. “We have to keep our cats inside. Usually, they’re outside all the time.”
Ed Criswell said he and his wife have 20 personal pets and have rescued about 20 additional animals. He said they stopped operating the nonprofit rescue organization they started, Voice of the Animals, but they need financial help to spay, neuter and adopt out the rescue animals. Currently, they’re living on his wife’s Social Security check, he said.
Records with the Idaho secretary of state’s office show that the Voice of the Animals nonprofit corporation was administratively dissolved Aug. 7, 2008, but was reinstated on July 20, 2009. It is listed as a nonprofit in good standing.
“We’re just going to have our personal pets and, occasionally, if something is in a bad way, we have to take care of it,” Criswell said. “We are not intending to acquire any additional animals. We’ve been trying to stay quiet. There’s always somebody around that doesn’t approve.”
In September 2006, more than 400 cats were removed from the Criswells’ then-home in Blanchard; more than half were euthanized due to illness. Animal welfare groups and veterinarians from across the state worked with Bonner County authorities on the animal seizure.
The Criswells were fined $1,000 and placed on unsupervised probation for two years, ending in January 2009. They also were forbidden from having more than 20 domesticated animals in their care. Veterinarians who handled the seizure said the symptoms visible at the home were typical of hoarding, which is a mental illness.
Animal hoarders often cover their activities through the perception that they’re an animal rescue operation, said Dr. Jeff Rosenthal, executive director of the Boise-based Idaho Humane Society, who directed veterinary care during the 2006 seizure. “Unfortunately, they kind of hoodwink the public as well,” Rosenthal said. “Animal shelters should not be trailers … hidden from public view. They should be very transparent and open.”
Rich Stephens, chief deputy for the Boundary County sheriff, said deputies have been monitoring the situation for several months, but the Criswells are not breaking the law. When deputies have visited the property – where three travel trailers are set up in a triangle with tarps over the top – the animals had food and water, he said. Boundary County doesn’t limit the number of animals a person can have, although Commissioner Ron Smith said he’s concerned about the situation.
“If people want to live that way with a lot of animals, a person might say that’s their business,” Smith said. “But if they’re going to have sick animals there, and they’re going to infect other animals or humans, I have a problem with that. We’re certainly going to stay on top of it.”
Rosenthal said that if the situation is similar to last time, he’d be concerned that the Criswells are violating laws against cruelty and neglect of animals due to unsanitary conditions. “If (authorities) allow this to get out of control, it will completely overwhelm local resources to deal with it,” the veterinarian said.
Criswell said he and his wife “know what we’re doing. We’re professionals. The only reason I have any animals running around is occasionally they slip out the door.”
He and his wife use one of the trailers as a bedroom, one as a living room and one as a kitchen, which is also where unneutered males are kept. Any sick animals are confined and receiving treatment, he said.
“We’ll take all the help we can get. I’m not hiding anything,” he said. “My doors are open. My whole life is open.”
However, when a news reporter and photographer knocked on the door Thursday, Cheryl Criswell quickly became angry and ordered the visitors off the property.
Two Fernwood residents dead after Monday accident 
lewis8457 on February 13 at 8:33 a.m.
These peoples heart is in the right place but they don’t have the intellect to make a shelter work. I was at their compound many years ago looking for a job. The conditions were terrible. The abuse I witnessed made me sick. I immediately called animal control in that area and they acted like they knew all about it.
We have so many animals no one wants, so many that need neutered or spayed. But all that cost money.
And the losers in all this are the cats. They didn’t ask to be born into world of starvation, disease, and neglect.
Please spay or neuter your animals.
OverYonder on February 15 at 1:24 p.m.
Lewis I commend you for reporting these people. More people need to take a stand and not just put their blinders on. It troubles me to think that any animal would suffer day in and day out… without a light at the end of their tunnel.
We know for a fact that these cats are not altered, are diseased, and are covered in mites & fleas. It is just a matter of time before they end up with 500 + cats at the rate they are going. Once again, history is repeating itself, sad but true! I disagree about their heart being in the right place. Anyone with a heart would not put themselves in this situation to which they have been previously charged and convicted! I do agree that they lack the intellect and faculties to make an operation of this sort work. I am not a Psychiatrist but it does not take one to come to the realization these people are mentally ill. It upsets me that the judge whom sentenced them only put them on probation for 2 years, to date that probation is over. With their continuous history one would think the judge would have sentenced them to never be permitted to have animals for the rest of their life. After all, this was the “WORST history of animal cruelty and neglect” in the State of Idaho’s history!!! So now they have moved to Bonners Ferry, Idaho in a rural area where there are no stipulations as to how many animals one can have. Who in there right mind would even rent their property out to people whom have this sort of history? I also believe that the landlords of this property should be held responsible for what is happening to these animals.
It also troubles me that people willingly hand their cats over to these people!?!? It is NO secret what these people have been convicted of. Does this help the people whom get rid of their cats feel better about themselves? These particular hoarders have no method of transportation, so I am assuming that people whom are sentencing their cats to a life of cruelty and neglect are drive them to this horrific place.
Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions as to steps that can be taken to alleviate this horrific situation?
kesslera on February 17 at 12:21 p.m.
Lewis, Overyonder and Alison,
Alright, y’all are intitled to your opinions. I also know first hand the exact nature of the past and present situations. I do not, in anyway, appreciate the ignorant and self righteous statements regarding the couple’s intellect! Who are you to stand there in stone throwing judgment? You have the right to your opinions, whether they are based upon complete fact or on heresay, or a bit of both. You do Not, however, have the right to judge and condemn! Who made you all God???? Hmmm…are’nt you glad Jesus did not judge you so harshly??? You all do Not have all the facts, I assure you! I do not always agree with, understand or condone things, but I at least get ALL the facts before making a judgement! Who am I? The person with enough contacts and rescources to make some folks uncomfortable. This couple are part of my family, and I will Not tolerate anyone attacking or judging my family in any way, shape or form! I do not make a threat with this comment. I Do make it clear to you all that you need to back up, back off and get yourselves off your soap boxes and get all the facts, not just some of it! This couple has a very good heart and lacks not intellect, but finances, space and direction. The story and the pictures where also done unethically. Permission was not granted, and I think that shows immaturity and lack of intellect on the part of Alison Boggs. Not recommended that happen again with any member of my family.
kesslera on February 17 at 12:41 p.m.
While, there are cases of true animal hoarding and cruelty, the case with the Crisswells is not among them. Yes, the situation did get out of control yrs back, and the current situation is having difficulties with finances, space and direction. I do not agree with many things, but I also know all the facts in these situations and the circumstances. I am an animal advocate and worry that situations can get out of control very easily. I do not own many animals myself, ( that is not my direction or path) but I do rescue and relocate them when they come to me. I am very disappointed, once again, in the human need to judge and condemn others! Do I think the Criswells have a need to get redirected and reorganized? Yes! I do not like seeing innocent animals suffer! I also know the hows, whys and whats of the entire situation. And, by the way, this was NOT the “worst” case ever reported! May want to research a bit more before you attach labels!!! I encourage people to Think Before they Speak! I also encourage everyone leave my family alone!!!!!
OverYonder on February 17 at 1:02 p.m.
kesslera,
Well if they are such wonderful people with intact faculties and are only full of love… why don’t you let them come live with you and you can all have a perfect cat rescuer life together? Maybe you can help them make it work? If you care about them so much, please help me understand where are you & why aren’t you helping them? Apparently they need you very badly.
My information comes from police reports and the records of their previous conviction. Also from people whom have firsthand experience and knowledge of them presently and from their past.
So bottom line you are stating that everything is just perfectly fine with having way more animals than you are capable of tending to physically & financially? Unaltered cats will lead to many, many more cats… this has to do with “the birds and the bees” if you know what I mean?
You took the time to post a comment… why don’t you take the time to inform everyone why you think what they are doing is okay? If you have “enough contacts and resources to make people uncomfortable” well then maybe you should start by helping your “family” instead of threatening strangers? You need to take a good hard look at what is happening and throw away your denial. Be part of the solution not the problem. When is the last time you gave them a ride to the store or went to visit them?
I
OverYonder on February 22 at 5:01 p.m.
I have been doing some extensive reading on cat hoarders. If anyone is interested I found this website very informative. If you can put up with the typos, I think it comes out of the UK but other than that… it sheds some light on this problem.
http://www.messybeast.com/collector.htm
alisonb on March 23 at 2:43 p.m.
The story and photos were not done unethically. The photos were taken from the property next door, where we had permission to be. We walked over to the property in question, knocked on the door and asked the woman who answered a few questions. She asked us to leave and we did. We did take some pictures there but did not use them because we were asked to leave that property. The story was done by interviewing neighbors, police and experts in animal welfare.