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Veterinary, Animals, Pets and Zoos News

P R E S S R E L E A S E :
Seventy-two Cats Dead and Alleged Animal Abuser
Unable to be Prosecuted Due to Humane Officer
Breach of Duty
Fri, 29 Aug 2014, 13:51:03 EDT
PITTSBURGH, Pa., Aug. 29, 2014 (SEND2PRESS
NEWSWIRE) -- Neighbors and concerned citizens are appalled
that an Allegheny County Humane Officer who was called to
investigate the abuse and abandonment of over 70 cats,
removed two cats and sent the rest to die, according to Frankie's
Friends Cat Rescue.
Kathy Hecker, a Humane Officer working for the largest "No-Kill"
shelter in Pittsburgh, investigated a call for hoarding and
abandonment of a large number of cats in a Mt. Lebanon, Pa.
house. The cats were found in unsanitary conditions and without
food and water; abandoned after the tenant, Jennifer Fix, was
evicted.
Hecker took two cats and allegedly "refused to take any of the
other cats because most of them were too sick or too wild to be saved," according to Big Daddy Wildlife Removal, the agency
contracted to trap and kill the remaining cats. Seventy-two cats were removed and destroyed, while neighbors were allegedly
told they were going to the "No-Kill" shelter. An additional five kittens and two adult cats were taken to the shelter due to
pressure by neighbors.
Cats that were able to be removed from traps prior to being taken by the wildlife exterminators were found to be in good health
by a veterinarian. None of the 72 cats were evaluated by a veterinarian for health or temperament prior to their death.
Although animal abandonment is considered a form of animal cruelty according to Pennsylvania law, Hecker has not yet filed
charges against Fix, and is unlikely to do so since all of the cats that would be considered "evidence" have already been
removed from the property.
"It is an absolute breach of duty when an officer sworn to protect animals not only sends seventy-two cats to their deaths
without a proper veterinary evaluation, but in doing so, also destroys any chance of successfully prosecuting a person who will
likely subject animals to abuse at her next address," said Dr. Becky L. Morrow, Founder of Frankie's Friends Cat Rescue and
expert witness in the Tiger Ranch institutionalized hoarding case.
Margo Cicci, a member of the Pittsburgh Feral Cat Movement, was involved in the rescue attempt for these cats. "When we
first heard that a Humane Agent was involved, we were relieved, thinking that everything would be done correctly so that
charges could be filed against the former tenant, and every effort would be made to save as many of these cats as possible.
To find out that this is how the Humane Agent handled it is beyond devastating."
Please contact Frankie's Friends Cat Rescue at (724) 230-6485 for more information or to interview those involved in this
case.
Frankie's Friends Cat Rescue was formed in 2010, after a sanctuary was created for unadoptable cats rescued from the Tiger
Ranch Cruelty Case. Frankie's Friends is dedicated to relieving suffering caused by cruelty/neglect, disease, injury, and
homelessness of cats, by providing shelter, low or no-cost veterinary care, and spaying and neutering thousands of cats
annually. More information: http://www.frankiesfriendscatrescue.org/ .
*PHOTO: Send2Press.com/mediaboom/14-0829-rescued-cat-300dpi.jpg .
NEWS SOURCE: Frankie's Friends Cat Rescue
Send2Press is the originating wire service for this story.
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For more information about this news release, contact Frankie's Friends Cat Rescue directly through their Web site found in the above press release,
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