McHenry County area animal rescue groups recover 35 cats from hoarding situation

A team of local cat rescue organizations over the course of several days successfully recovered 35 abandoned cats and kittens from a McHenry area home, group leaders said.

McHenry Cat Rescue Coalition co-presidents Julie Austin and Kristen Thompson, both of Johnsburg, learned June 13 that a large, abandoned cat population was living at a home in an unincorporated area near McHenry.

The cats’ owner moved out weeks earlier, but left the cats behind and later contacted the rescue organizations for assistance, Thompson said.

Thompson said in the release the cats were “living in unsafe and unsanitary condition” and that she consulted licensed Humane Investigator Sue Callahan Davis.

Davis told the Northwest Herald her role was limited to providing a second opinion. She said she visited the home, which she described as “disgusting” but said the conditions did not meet the criteria for criminal charges as shelter, food, water and air conditioning was provided.

Subsequently, volunteer trappers were able to safely remove 25 adult cats and 10 kittens from the home, Thompson said in the release.

The owner of the cats contacted Animal Control in mid-June, said Lindsey Salvatelli, spokesperson for the McHenry County Department of Health, which oversees Animal Control.

“We’re not doing an investigation on this because she reached out and said, ‘Hey, I need help with these cats,’” Salvatelli said.

The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office was unable to comment Wednesday evening.

The cats were then taken to McHenry County Animal Control in Crystal Lake, according to the release. They currently are receiving the proper veterinary care and many of the cats should be ready for adoption within the coming weeks, Thompson said.

Each of the cats or kittens will be spayed or neutered, brought up to date on vaccinations, and microchipped by the time of adoption, she said.

Cats that might not be considered immediately adoptable could be placed in an Animal Service and Assistance Programs barn program until a permanent home is identified, Thompson said.

The rescue was performed as a joint operation between McHenry Animal Control, Animal Outreach Humane Society, ASAP, On Angel’s Wings, Animal Education and Rescue and Spay and Stay, according to the release.

“Our animal rescue community mobilized together in the most cohesive, carefully-planned effort in the county’s history,” Thompson said.

By rescuing a limited number of cats each, the organizations were able to pull off the operation without overburdening one another, she said.

“We came up with some methodology that I think will be utilized at the next [rescue],” Thompson said. “We know how to mobilize a team with the right people and get the job done.”

Anyone looking to adopt one of the cats or contribute a donation should reach out directly to one of the individual programs, according to the release. The organizations always accept donations in the form of money, food and supplies.