A cat rescue southwest of Ottawa is underneath investigation after allegations of abuse, neglect and falsified medical data have surfaced.
Taylor Toll adopted her cat Jiggy from Japanese Ontario Cats (EOC) in the neighborhood of Elgin, Ont. by way of PetSmart in Barrhaven again in February.
“It stated that she had been spayed and had all her vaccines up-to-date and had been handled for worms,” stated Toll.
She shortly grew to become a part of the household, however Toll says a couple of month later, she realized one thing wasn’t proper.
“I took her to the vet as a result of I observed she had worms after which the start of April, she began exhibiting indicators she was in warmth and we took her to our vet once more and so they confirmed she was incorrectly spayed or not spayed in any respect,” stated Toll.
Toll says she was quoted hundreds of {dollars} from her vet for exploratory surgical procedure, so as an alternative she reached out to the rescue.
After months of making an attempt to contact the founder, Johanna Cake, Toll was finally advised to drop Jiggy off at her home in Elgin on the finish of July, anticipating the cat to be seen by a vet inside every week.
“We did look within the home windows and it was not place. It was stuffed with cats in cages on prime of one another. I didn’t wish to go away her there, however I believed I’d be getting her again on Friday,” stated Toll.
However Friday got here and went. Toll says she reached again out to the founder, however her appointment date saved getting pushed again.
About two weeks in the past, six cats have been faraway from the founder’s residence after allegations surfaced that the property was vacated, and cats have been left inside.
A few of the cats within the residence have been present in tiny cages with out meals or water, surrounded by urine and feces. One of many cats has since died.
“We’ve handled hoarding conditions. That is the CEO proprietor of a charitable cat rescue, a charitable group, and the circumstances are unacceptable,” stated Juliana Lepoutre, founding father of Biscuits and Purrs Cat Rescue.
Lepoutre, together with Shelley Funk, used to assist run EOC as volunteers earlier than chopping ties in February. The pair have been working to uncover the allegations after fosters and adopters began reaching out.
“We’ve been investigating this for a very long time as a result of we have been very involved about these cats and the care they have been receiving. We have been getting calls nonstop, which is very uncommon in a rescue,” stated Funk.
In an announcement, Ontario’s Ministry of the Solicitor Basic stated, “The ministry can confirm that there is an active Animal Welfare Services investigation into this matter and therefore cannot provide additional information.”
The pair say different allegations have additionally surfaced together with falsified medical data, some linked to locations like PetSmart and Pet Valu.
“[There are] cats who have been supposedly vaccinated and weren’t. The batch quantity was repeated a number of instances. A vaccine comes with a sticker. It’s very straightforward to say if it was legit or not, she wasn’t utilizing stickers,” stated Lepoutre.
“[There are] statements that cats have been presupposed to be microchipped, and so they weren’t. Adopters would convey their kittens or cats to their vet for a well being verify after which uncover that this cat isn’t truly spayed or isn’t truly microchipped.”
Pet Valu stated in August one in every of its shops in Ottawa acquired a sick kitten from the rescue that handed away after it was returned to the rescue.
It says the rescue didn’t present the shop with correct info relating to the kitten’s passing.
“Recently, we became aware of several more concerning incidents involving the same rescue. All our stores that supported the rescue in the past have terminated their relationships with it,” stated Tanbir Grover, Chief Digital and Advertising Officer at Pet Valu, in an announcement.
PetSmart additionally confirmed to Ontario Chronicle it has suspended the group.
Funk says she first began questioning the vaccine data when one of many fosters with EOC took a cat to a vet and it handed away.
“The illness that it handed from made completely no sense, if it had been vaccinated” she stated. “I used to be nonetheless in communication with the director at that time of EOC and I requested her, ‘Was this cat vaccinated?’ she stated it was double vaccinated.”
“Then we truly noticed the vet data of the vaccine to appreciate that the cat was by no means vaccinated.”
As for Toll, she by no means noticed Jiggy once more. She says she was pressured to give up her after an appointment was by no means scheduled by the rescue’s founder.
Ontario Chronicle reached out to Japanese Ontario Cats for remark however haven’t heard again.
“I beloved her. She was a really candy woman and I’m mad, I’m offended about it,” stated Toll.
“I remorse leaving my cat there and I remorse adopting a cat from them and giving them my cash and simply something to do with them.”
