Animal rights activists in Thailand have rescued more than 300 cats from two abandoned houses on the outskirts of Bangkok on Thursday. The animals were found in cages in extremely filthy houses.
“To witness how the cats were living was shocking and heart-breaking, especially the first floor where there was no air movement, and almost a hundred cats squeezed into small cages, and confined in a glass room,” Lek Chailert, founder of Elephant Nature Park (ENP) in Thailand, said in a Facebook post.
ENP rescues elephants and other animals. “Many (of the cats) had died, lying on the floor or stuffed in sacks, and some bodies squeezed in a broken fridge. The smell of feces and urine and death was overwhelming,” she continued.
“I can’t imagine the suffering and trauma of those cats, living in this place with horrible fear, stepping carefully across the bodies of friends who died in front of them, waiting for their own turn.”
The volunteers, mostly from local animal rescue organizations, said neighbors of one of the homes provided a tip about the cats. The owner eventually told volunteers about the second location.
They believe the owner left the houses and the cats because she couldn’t afford to take care of them anymore.
In total, 303 cats were successfully removed from both houses and then transported to various veterinarian clinics for check-ups.
Some of the cats had cat leukemia and some had feline AIDS. The sick cats were put in separate cages.
The rescuers said they believed some cat food had been thrown into the house to help feed the animals.
The cats will remain in the care of several veterinarians for about a week before being sent to Elephant Nature Park.
WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT
The Animal Reader wants to encourage people to question whether it’s ethically and morally correct to treat animals the way we do in our society. We do this by reporting on news about animal welfare. If you can, please consider supporting animal journalism.
