This large-scale rescue was the Tacoma Humane Society’s ‘mission coming to life’

When more than 65 cats arrived at The Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County earlier this month, they were malnourished and appeared to be severely neglected. About 10 were dead.

It was an all “hands-on deck” situation after animal control officers gave the facility’s staff a heads-up they were arriving to the shelter with the cats that had been seized from a 39-year-old woman Nov. 7. Most of the emaciated cats were found in the woman’s U-Haul truck without food and water. Two kittens were in her motel room in Tacoma, according to Pierce County Superior Court charging documents.

Prosecutors charged the woman with 10 counts of first-degree animal cruelty and one count of animal cruelty in the second-degree, failure to provide care.

Humane Society officials do not know where the woman got the cats, according to the facility’s director of marketing and communications, Lauren Green.

Green said the Humane Society is an open-admission shelter, one of the few in the state. That means it does not turn away animals that are brought in, including large-scale rescues.

“We hold contracts with a handful of animal-control agencies. So that includes the City of Tacoma, which is the case of the cats that came into us on Friday,” she said, “So when these cases occur, our partners, in this case from the City of Tacoma Animal Control, give us as much of a heads-up as they can.”

When a large-scale rescue happens, Green said, staff and volunteers try to figure out the logistics before the animals arrive. Questions include: What condition are the animals in? Do they need to go straight to the facility’s veterinary clinic? Is there space to accommodate them, and, if not, how can that be made to happen before they arrive?

Staff also have to find out if the animals can be placed in kennels immediately or if they should be placed in foster homes. That depends on if litigation is taking place. Green said the Humane Society maintains close contact with its animal control partners so they are aware of the ongoing legal proceedings and what the facility’s role will be.

“There’s a number of logistics we have to figure out in, typically, record timing,” Green said. “It really is our mission coming to life in a matter of seconds.”

Green said cases like the ones with the cats can happen anytime at the shelter. It was not the first large-scale case the Humane Society has gotten this year. On Wednesday, several apparent mini poodles were brought in by animal control after their owners surrendered them, so the shelter made space for them.

“We need to be available and ready for anything that comes through our doors on any given day,” she said.

Green said they provide immediate care to the animals. Every animal is examined by a veterinary team to identify what medical needs must be addressed.

“Like in the case of the cats, a handful of them arrived deceased,” she said.

The cats that were dead had to be taken to Washington State University for necropsy, according to a Tacoma Police Department spokesperson.

Most of the cats arrived malnourished, a handful of them had fleas and exhibited respiratory issues, Green said. One cat that should have been 6 to 12 pounds due to its age, had just reached the 3-pound threshold Thursday. One cat had dangerously high sodium levels, while another had blood in its urine. Some have missing fur.

The cats were placed in a flex room upstairs in the facility. On the day of the cats’ arrivals, the room had to be closed off for a while. Now, people can come in and look at the cats.

The facility has been monitoring the cats’ food intake and weighing them every three days. Some cats are with fosters. Green said there are cats available for adoption while others will not be available until mid-December. Community support

Green said the facility’s resources are “truly provided by our community” through donations and support.

“I mean even right now, we were running low on our supplies in our pet food and supply pantry for animals in the community. And when we turn to our community for support to stock our shelves, they show up 10-fold,” she said.

People in Pierce County are “pet lovers,” Green said. Ever since the news of the malnourished cats broke, there have been people reaching out either interested in adopting or just simply wanting to help.

“We would not be able to continue this type of work, and at this volume, if it was not for our community support,” Green said.