Most hoarded cats put down

More than half of the 430 cats seized at a North Idaho residence last week have been euthanized “due to severe illness and extreme suffering,” according to the Humane Society of the United States.

Each operator of the Bonner County facility, which consisted of eight run-down trailers on 23 acres, faces 20 misdemeanor charges of cruelty to animals and permitting animals to go without care.

Cheryl Perkins, 58, and Ed Criswell, 43, are scheduled to make their first appearance at the Bonner County Courthouse on Oct. 6. Prosecutors initially said each would face only a single misdemeanor charge.

“This is being deemed the largest cruelty case in Idaho,” said Inga Gibson, program manager for the Humane Society of the United States.

Gibson said every cat from the Voice of the Animals Camelot Sanctuary north of Blanchard was infested with fleas and ear mites. Many suffered from emaciation; feline leukemia; feline infectious virus; or other maladies, including ringworm and “just about every contagious disease imaginable,” she said.

Some of the cats were put down on site, Gibson said. Others were euthanized at a temporary shelter at the Bonner County sheriff’s substation in Priest River.

“Some were in such bad shape that we didn’t transport them to the temporary shelter,” she said.

The cats that survived are being nursed back to health in preparation for adoption.

SpokAnimal CARE in Spokane received 24 cats from the sanctuary for adoption. Four tested positive for leukemia and were euthanized, and four others were adopted as of Tuesday morning, Executive Director Gail Mackie said.

SpokAnimal has also found homes for two goats and some chickens seized from Voice of the Animals.

Mackie said the 16 cats available for adoption from SpokAnimal are Siamese and Siamese crosses.

Idaho is one of eight states where cruelty to animals is not a felony offense.

Gibson said she believes the rate of recidivism, or relapse, among animal hoarders – which is how the Humane Society is describing the Voice of the Animals case – is 100 percent.

“It’s highly likely they’re going to pack up and move to another state and start again,” she said.

The Humane Society is recommending any sentence include a prohibition on ownership of animals.

An attorney for Perkins and Criswell has said his clients are animal lovers who oppose killing animals. Richard Kuck also said the search and seizure was an egregious violation of personal privacy and property.

A news media tour of the property last week revealed animal feces and urine covering many surfaces of the trailers, including living quarters and food preparation areas.