Cat-astrophe

Xtralife

First off, sorry for the pun.

So I got a friend. His real name shall not be disclosed, but for the purposes of the thread I'll call him Vincent. He's 18, finishing high school, loves video games, lives with his parents, is unemployed, has no vehicle, and has cats.

I don't mean like 2 or 3 cats that are fuzzy and loveable and adorable and d'awwww. I mean uncountable, incalculable amounts of felines. I've attempted to take a census, and it has ranged from 20 to 30. Naturally, Vincent hates this. He loathes it. It's unsanitary, depressing, and a total bitch to take care of them. Apparently, once upon a time, he had like 6 kitties, and everything was fine, but then some more cats were adopted and were not fixed immediately. So for 5 years, the cats have had incestuous relationships with each other, growing steadily in number.

Vincent can't just get up and go. He doesn't have a job, he's still in high school, he can't drive. The dude's stuck there, and he's forced to clean cat shit off pretty much every damned surface in the house. If he refuses, he has nowhere to go, except to his real mother's house... and he was pretty much nearly abused there when he was a kid. His parents are workaholics, so when they get home they just lie in bed and sleep. Not only that, they're lazy workaholics. He asked for a bike once for Christmas, and he got it the next year. To make things worse, his stepmother doesn't understand that having 30+ cats is a horrid, despicable thing. They've had to move three times in the past because she kept getting cats. His dad's only slightly better, because he admits there's a problem. He never does anything, though.

But there is something of a glimmer of hope. The family is planning on moving to a different house. There are two problems with this, however, if you've read everything else.

1. Wacky amounts of living, shitting furballs.
2. General laziness.

Vincent's family will take forever to move, I just know it. And when they do, they're just planning to dump 80% of these cats in the shelter. That's cruel, irresponsible, and the worst part is they don't care. Vincent would have cared where the cats went, had you asked him a year ago. But now he just wants them gone. He can't do anything about it, though. If he does anything himself about it, shit would really go downhill for him.

So here's what I need help with. I want to get these damn cats out of the house as soon as possible, because Vincent's like one of my best friends ever. I do know some people who can take a cat or two, but that's not my biggest problem. My problem is starting it. How do I get Vincent's dad and stepmom to start removing these cats immediately? I must do this with respectfulness, speed, and enough logic to make a chess champion's head explode.

Aoi Tsuki

That's pretty classic hoarding. Get the local humane society, ASPCA, or even just the cops down, because there is no way to talk someone out of the need to keep collecting animals. That many cats in that little space is abusing the animals, not to mention a health hazard (their urine = *_*), so legal intervention is the only way to go here. At the very least, Vincent needs to establish a paper trail, if not some kind of injunction against them owning more than a couple of animals, and can use that when more kitties inevitably start piling up.

Again, there's no way to talk, trick, or cajole her out of it. It's a mental illness, as real as depression (which sounds like it might also be in play, I is not a psychiatrist, just an avid news reader/late-night Animal Planet watcher).

(This sounds a little unfortunately apt, from that Wiki article:

As with his or her animals, the hoarder often fails to provide adequate care for dependents both young and old, who suffer from a lack of basic necessities as well as the health problems caused by unsanitary conditions.)

Xtralife

Aoi Tsuki wrote: »

That's pretty classic hoarding. Get the local humane society, ASPCA, or even just the cops down, because there is no way to talk someone out of the need to keep collecting animals. That many cats in that little space is abusing the animals, not to mention a health hazard (their urine = *_*), so legal intervention is the only way to go here. At the very least, Vincent needs to establish a paper trail, if not some kind of injunction against them owning more than a couple of animals, and can use that when more kitties inevitably start piling up.

Again, there's no way to talk, trick, or cajole her out of it. It's a mental illness, as real as depression (which sounds like it might also be in play, I is not a psychiatrist, just an avid news reader/late-night Animal Planet watcher).

(This sounds a little unfortunately apt, from that Wiki article:

As with his or her animals, the hoarder often fails to provide adequate care for dependents both young and old, who suffer from a lack of basic necessities as well as the health problems caused by unsanitary conditions.)

Vincent's scared of any legal action happening. He's worried that if he brings down the law on his dad and stepmom, he'll have to move in with his mom in Alaska, who is nuts in a different way (though that's not the topic at hand). I've offered him to stay with me, at least for a while, but he continuously insists that something will be done soon. His words sort of lose meaning after a few months of saying that, though.

As for the Wikipedia quote, it's pretty much hit the nail on the head. Whole damn house smells of ammonia except Vince's room, and even that's not sanitary.

Aoi Tsuki

Xtralife wrote: »

Vincent's scared of any legal action happening. He's worried that if he brings down the law on his dad and stepmom, he'll have to move in with his mom in Alaska, who is nuts in a different way (though that's not the topic at hand). I've offered him to stay with me, at least for a while, but he continuously insists that something will be done soon. His words sort of lose meaning after a few months of saying that, though.

As for the Wikipedia quote, it's pretty much hit the nail on the head. Whole damn house smells of ammonia except Vince's room, and even that's not sanitary.

IANAL, but I don't know that his dad and stepmom are going to lose custody over this. It really depends how bad the place is.

If he doesn't get the law involved, he's going to stay powerless. He can secretly clean the whole house, top to bottom, and somehow get every single cat out of there, and she's going to get more goddamned cats. There is no graceful way to do this but to fucking make her stop. Vincent's best bet is to get his dad on his side and just do it--I can guarantee "dad and son want Mom to get help" will look a hell of a lot better than "minor desperately struggles against apathetic parents in squalid conditions."

onceling

I agree with Aoi Tsuki, this is just hoarding behavior and the animal hoarding is the worst, recurs almost 100% in those affected and to even make any improvement requires extreme commitment and dedication from the affected, not just their distraught family.

I would call around all the no-kill shelters in the area and see if there's one that's willing to work with you. Primarily, surrendering the cats (which will be fixed by any good shelter) is the best course of action. If you don't have luck with this, you'll have to rely on animal control deeming the place unfit for animals and/or going over maximum allowed in the place.

If you can identify all the cats of a particular gender, you could take all those at one time (this assists with the hoarder not freaking out over losing everything at once usually) and then deal with the second lot later. This might be too hard with so many cats, though. There's probably dead cats in the walls and the attic and there could be kittens anywhere. Getting rid of all the females would be a good plan since some of them are probably pregnant and are going to add to the population soon enough.

Your friend, longterm, is going to need to be prepared to get himself a job and get out of the environment he's in. As soon as he's out of high school, he should be ready to move out on his own, because trust me when I say that the household is probably never going to be a good place to live.

I would probably try to get the parents/stepparents names banned from getting cats from any/all shelters if they will let you do that, but since people are stupid assholes they will continue to breed cats in their backyards that add to the overpopulation, so its possible the parents will just buy them out of the paper/craigslist anyway.

As for broaching the subject with a hoarder, the best thing to do is negotiate with the hoarder to keep fixed animals only, and only up to the maximum allowed in the area. Ideally they'd go into therapy etc but I am pretty sure you'll find that a waste of time discussing with these people. They are completely deluded.

In all honesty, this is probably going to be a lifelong issue. I'm not joking when I say that maybe Vincent should consider becoming a vet, because unless he cuts himself off from these people, the best course of action is getting cats fixed over and over again until the affected hoarder dies. It's too expensive to get done at regular prices, so I'm dead serious, Vincent should go to vet school.

Aoi Tsuki

Wait a damn minute. Vincent is 18? Is there some kind of child-support or other provision legally tying him to either of his parents? 'Cause 18 looks pretty legally adult to me, i.e. the state cannot force him to go live with anyone. Am I missing something? (Being unemployed and still in high school don't matter, to my scanty legal knowledge.)

If it's losing them both to jail sentences that he's worried about, that's probably not a huge concern. Animal cruelty is punishable by fines and various mandates about getting rid and staying rid of all but x number of animals, or counseling, more than jail time beyond 30 days at the very upper ends. ...Again, to my knowledge.

Xtralife

Aoi Tsuki wrote: »

Wait a damn minute. Vincent is 18? Is there some kind of child-support or other provision legally tying him to either of his parents? 'Cause 18 looks pretty legally adult to me, i.e. the state cannot force him to go live with anyone. Am I missing something? (Being unemployed and still in high school don't matter, to my scanty legal knowledge.)

If it's losing them both to jail sentences that he's worried about, that's probably not a huge concern. Animal cruelty is punishable by fines and various mandates about getting rid and staying rid of all but x number of animals, or counseling, more than jail time beyond 30 days at the upper ends. ...Again, to my knowledge.

Basically, he has an irrational fear of not having somewhere to live, and therefore having to move back with his mother. At the same time, he does love some of the cats (about 6), and he knows that if he does call Animal Control, most of them will be gone, as they also have 2 dogs and the maximum limit of pets is 4.

Aoi Tsuki

Xtralife wrote: »

Basically, he has an irrational fear of not having somewhere to live, and therefore having to move back with his mother. At the same time, he does love some of the cats (about 6), and he knows that if he does call Animal Control, most of them will be gone, as they also have 2 dogs and the maximum limit of pets is 4.

Guess what the key word is in there?

Seriously, he's an adult, you've offered him space, and the animals he claims to love are living in their own filth? No wonder he thought there was a magic, pain-free solution to just make his stepmom stop and clean up her act. It's rubbed off on him.

The sooner you can disabuse him of these notions and get professional intervention, the better. This is not going away.

Xtralife

Aoi Tsuki wrote: »

Xtralife wrote: »

Basically, he has an irrational fear of not having somewhere to live, and therefore having to move back with his mother. At the same time, he does love some of the cats (about 6), and he knows that if he does call Animal Control, most of them will be gone, as they also have 2 dogs and the maximum limit of pets is 4.

Guess what the key word is in there?

Seriously, he's an adult, you've offered him space, and the animals he claims to love are living in their own filth? No wonder he thought there was a magic, pain-free solution to just make his stepmom stop and clean up her act. It's rubbed off on him.

The sooner you can disabuse him of these notions and get professional intervention, the better. This is not going away.

That's true. Some of his other friends have offered him space, too. But every time I try and tell him that he'd get rid of the cats if he loved them, he just shrugs it off and says that his parents are working on it. I'm starting to think the only way of getting this through his head is by quoting Gurren Lagann and punching him in the face.

Aoi Tsuki

Xtralife wrote: »

But every time I try and tell him that he'd get rid of the cats if he loved them, he just shrugs it off and says that his parents are working on it. I'm starting to think the only way of getting this through his head is by quoting Gurren Lagann and punching him in the face.

His parents are working on it by working and sleeping nonstop? o_O How willing are you to either make the call yourself, or give him a deadline to do it?

If you have to don Kamina glasses to get your point across, so be it.

Aurin

Or calling the cops/ASPCA/etc yourself. :P

Though, that might lose you a friend.

edit: beaten! Well, lime the above and whatever.

The biggest thing here is to get him out of the ammonia-filled house, and get those poor animals help since they can't help themselves.

Xtralife

Aurin wrote: »

Or calling the cops/ASPCA/etc yourself. :P

Though, that might lose you a friend.

edit: beaten! Well, lime the above and whatever.

The biggest thing here is to get him out of the ammonia-filled house, and get those poor animals help since they can't help themselves.

That's what I'm worried about the most, Aurin. I don't know if he'll be able to understand that my actions were for his benefit and out of respect/friendship.

What I think I'm going to try and do is figure out how I'm going to clean stuff and get things in order for him to live with me. I'll then write and memorize ways to counter his points against doing anything direct about this problem. When I've gotten all that done, I'll try talking with him again. Usually when I've tried to convince him, I went about it in something of a factual, though not really hard-hitting way. I'll definitely try to be firmer, and if he doesn't listen this time then I'll really hit hard.

Aoi Tsuki wrote: »

If you have to don Kamina glasses to get your point across, so be it.

I wish. But goddamnit, nobody sells Kamina glasses.

Susan Delgado

I'm pretty certain you can make an anonymous tip to the ASPCA and unless they live way out in the country, I seriously doubt that you're the only one that has noticed the fuzzy swarm of cats on the property....let alone the smell on everything they wear and touch...

onceling

You said it yourself, the limit is 4. If Vincent wants to keep at least 6, plus 2 dogs, he's probably right on track to be an animal hoarder himself. You don't need 8 animals in order to have a healthy enjoyment of a relationship with pets. In fact, nobody can really dedicate enough time to so many animals that it's fair to the poor things.

Inquisitor77

The ASPCA can be tipped off anonymously. Given they have that many cats in the house, there's no reason for them to assume it was you. For all they know it could've been a neighbor, the postman, or any number of other visitors.

This is animal abuse (x 30 animals). It is also child abuse, at least for the portion where your friend was under 18. Frankly, you have an obligation as a citizen to report the situation as you see it. You can do it anonymously. I suggest you go that route.

Richard_Dastardly

If you tip off the authorities, it's very well possible that your friend's house and his parents will end up on the local news.

I doubt that'll be a pretty scene for him if he's still in high school.

Eglo

We had the same problem one time, started with a few cats and the population quickly exploded out of control. We ended up butchering the cats for meat.

Nerissa

onceling wrote: »

You said it yourself, the limit is 4. If Vincent wants to keep at least 6, plus 2 dogs, he's probably right on track to be an animal hoarder himself. You don't need 8 animals in order to have a healthy enjoyment of a relationship with pets. In fact, nobody can really dedicate enough time to so many animals that it's fair to the poor things.

I'll second that... when I only had 3 cats (and one dog) I felt like I had more than was reasonable. Unfortunately, one didn't get spayed soon enough, and now I have 6. On the plus side, we're now living out in the boonies where they can be outdoor "farm" cats rather than indoor "house" cats, but I'm still overwhelmed by the number of animals I'm responsible for, and veto any suggestion of adding another to the household, be it dog, cat, rabbit, hamster or fish.

I couldn't keep up with 6 cats when they were in the house, I can't even begin to imagine 30 of them.

Ziac45

My mother is actually an animal hoarder for a long time and I grew up with 24 cats in the house. You need to get your friend help, if he grew up with this he may not want to get rid of the cats and may just accept that it is okay and not make any stand about it. ( I didn't realize hwo crazy it was until my parents split up)

That many animals is ridiculously unhealthy and cleaning up after them is a terrible terrible thing to have to do. Tip off animal control in your area and I promise he will thank you in the long run. He may be angry at first, but eventually he will come to thank you for it.

ceres

Make the anonymous tip. Make sure it's anonymous, but do it. Never let on that you did it, but be there for him.

Because here's the thing: he has these 6 cats or whatever that he really loves and is scared to lose, but the bazillion animals around is normal for him now. If all the animals are taken away, he can spend a little time without them, and maybe eventually learn to form healthy relationships with his pets. He's pretty powerless to do that as things stand, and this really is abuse, to the animals and to him.

Even forget about the emotional implications for a minute. Aside from all the parasites that are probably around that place, he can't breathe ammonia for 8 hours every single night in his sleep. Eventually it's going to poison him, if it hasn't begun to already.

He needs help, and he can't get it himself.

illirica

You know, for all the talk about YOU making an anonymous tip, I should point out that VINCENT could make an anonymous tip also. There's no reason he can't contact the authorities anonymously - that way he won't be in trouble with his family. He doesn't have to tell them that it was he who made the call. That way he could also talk to them about the original 6 cats and see if they can be kept or personally placed in other homes (like with the friends you mentioned) instead of being taken to the shelter, so that he knows the cats he is attached to will have a good home.

Bionic Monkey

Xtralife wrote: »

Vincent's scared of any legal action happening. He's worried that if he brings down the law on his dad and stepmom, he'll have to move in with his mom in Alaska, who is nuts in a different way (though that's not the topic at hand). I've offered him to stay with me, at least for a while, but he continuously insists that something will be done soon. His words sort of lose meaning after a few months of saying that, though.

As for the Wikipedia quote, it's pretty much hit the nail on the head. Whole damn house smells of ammonia except Vince's room, and even that's not sanitary.

So call it in for him. Call it in anonymously. With that many animals, there is no way all the neighbors are unaware of the situation, and for all the parents know, any one of them could have called it in. Typically, if the authorities do get involved, they'll also force some kind of counseling on the hoarders to avoid any kind of legal punishments.

Richard_Dastardly wrote: »

If you tip off the authorities, it's very well possible that your friend's house and his parents will end up on the local news.

I doubt that'll be a pretty scene for him if he's still in high school.

Well, to be frank, who the fuck cares? Minor infamous local celebrity for a few weeks, versus living in squalled conditions for years? Tough choice, that one.

Nerissa wrote: »

I couldn't keep up with 6 cats when they were in the house, I can't even begin to imagine 30 of them.

Eh, 6 isn't too bad. My wife's family had six cats when I met them. Granted, two were outdoors-only.

illirica wrote: »

You know, for all the talk about YOU making an anonymous tip, I should point out that VINCENT could make an anonymous tip also. There's no reason he can't contact the authorities anonymously - that way he won't be in trouble with his family. He doesn't have to tell them that it was he who made the call. That way he could also talk to them about the original 6 cats and see if they can be kept or personally placed in other homes (like with the friends you mentioned) instead of being taken to the shelter, so that he knows the cats he is attached to will have a good home.

He's already showing hoarding signs himself, and wants to keep 8 of the animals. It's very unlikely the OP would be able to convince him to make the call himself.

Enc

Bionic Monkey wrote: »

Nerissa wrote: »

I couldn't keep up with 6 cats when they were in the house, I can't even begin to imagine 30 of them.

Eh, 6 isn't too bad. My wife's family had six cats when I met them. Granted, two were outdoors-only.

My question in these situations is: how do you give them enough attention? I have just one cat, and he takes a lot of my time just to keep him happy. Multiply that by six, I'd never have time for work or sleep.

Bionic Monkey

Enc wrote: »

Bionic Monkey wrote: »

Nerissa wrote: »

I couldn't keep up with 6 cats when they were in the house, I can't even begin to imagine 30 of them.

Eh, 6 isn't too bad. My wife's family had six cats when I met them. Granted, two were outdoors-only.

My question in these situations is: how do you give them enough attention? I have just one cat, and he takes a lot of my time just to keep him happy. Multiply that by six, I'd never have time for work or sleep.

Multiple cats will tend to give each other attention if they get along well enough. Also, she had a brother and both parents there, so really each person had 1.25 cats to take care of.

Mugaaz

Umm, what exactly is wrong with the family dropping them off at the shelter again?

Bionic Monkey

Mugaaz wrote: »

Umm, what exactly is wrong with the family dropping them off at the shelter again?

It won't solve any problems, and they'll just start hoarding again.

Mugaaz

Bionic Monkey wrote: »

Mugaaz wrote: »

Umm, what exactly is wrong with the family dropping them off at the shelter again?

It won't solve any problems, and they'll just start hoarding again.

I thought this was about his friend and not his friend's familiy's mental disoders? Trying to solve someone elses mental problem they refuse to acknowledge or have any interest on solving is an exercise in futility. Drop them off at the shelter or call animal control/cops. Since option B is ruled out because of his friends mental problems (see a pattern) just take the short road out here. Also, if this issue isn't a big enough deal to call the authorities without your friends consent then it's also not a big enough deal for you to go to great futile lengths to solve on your own. Spend you mental resources in areas where they can actually generate returns. Also, from reading the OP it seems like the mom and dad are a piece of work and no one cares about them, why bother trying to solve their problem? Your friends problem is solved by the removal of the cats in the short term, and considering his age that short term is more than long enough for him to move out. (is this correct? slightly vague in OP)

Bionic Monkey

Xtralife can't solve their mental problems, but calling the authorities anonymously, and tipping them off about the situation will put them in a situation where they're forced to get help.

Keeping this many cats isn't a "You go to jail, NAOW!" offense unless you're intentionally abusing the animals. It's an "enforced therapy to deal with your issues and maybe a fine" offense.

Xtralife

Bionic Monkey wrote: »

Mugaaz wrote: »

Umm, what exactly is wrong with the family dropping them off at the shelter again?

It won't solve any problems, and they'll just start hoarding again.

Exactly. Vincent's parents have done this before, in fact.

Alright, I've seen a lot of suggestions for anonymous tips. After some thought, I've decided this is the best route to go. Today I'm going to contact some people who are actively involved in animal rescues/adoptions to see how many cats we can get out of there, and some general advice. I also have determined that I do indeed have the space for Vincent to live, though only for a month. I can contact his other friends too and see how long they can have him for.

By Wednesday, I'll have Vincent out of the house, and the cats will be on their way to adoption.

ceres

Depending on how he is, you *may* have a hard time getting him to move out. The tip is a very good start, and definitely do that, but try not to set too much else in stone. Let him know his options, encourage him to come stay with you, but don't take it personally if he freaks out a bit, because if he's never had animal control at his house he's probably going to.

Keep us updated.

Xtralife

Alright, new problem. I talked with a person who does cat rescue on a regular basis. She says that calling the SPCA with an anonymous tip will be useless. Apparently, hoarding is so common that they just never actually get around to doing anything. They tell the hoarder to pick 3 cats, and they'll come back to take the rest away. However, they never come back, because there's more hoarders they have to deal with. Rinse and repeat. However, I think if I just call a local shelter, they can get them all out... but then they won't be adopted.

She then said that she could offer to help the family trap the cats, get them fixed for free, and to find them humane shelters that don't euthanize. See, though, there's a problem with this too. Vincent's family won't do shit. Vincent, though he knows they won't do shit, continues to believe in his family. But if this does manage to work, it'd mean that there wouldn't be any trouble with the law, which is good because I won't have to do a tip and potentially be found out. Yet at the same time, it's bad, because his stepmom's just going to get more cats.

What do you guys think? Neither's a particularly good course of action, but which is the one with less cons?

EDIT: I can't try talking to him and sending in a tip if it fails. Vincent will put two and two together and realize it was me that sent the cops over.

Bionic Monkey

Do you have an Animal Control you could try talking to? It strikes me as really odd that they just wouldn't do anything about an animal hoarder. It seems more like whoever you called just didn't want to deal with it for whatever reason. I'd try calling a few more places, and talking to a few more people. Try calling shelters, and see what they'd recommend. Also see if your local law enforcement has an Animal Control division, and if not, try just talking with someone at the station, and see what they have to say about it.

Xtralife

Bionic Monkey wrote: »

Do you have an Animal Control you could try talking to? It strikes me as really odd that they just wouldn't do anything about an animal hoarder. It seems more like whoever you called just didn't want to deal with it for whatever reason. I'd try calling a few more places, and talking to a few more people. Try calling shelters, and see what they'd recommend. Also see if your local law enforcement has an Animal Control division, and if not, try just talking with someone at the station, and see what they have to say about it.

Just contacted a shelter. They suggested I call City Code Enforcement, as they'd be able to bring the police or people from the shelter if necessary.

Should I contact them, or try getting the help of the animal rescue person? I think that getting the cats out without the help of the law would be the gentler way, as it wouldn't cause the stepmom to flip out. But contacting local enforcement would ensure that this problem would never occur again.

EDIT: I said earlier I couldn't pick the non-law option, and then get the police involved if nothing happened, because Vincent would find out and probably be pissed. Now, on second thought, I'm thinking that's the best way. I want this problem taken care of, and damn the consequences.

LadyM

Man, what a situation. Frankly, even if some of the cats end up euthanized, it may be a kinder option than trapping them in a house covered with cat feces. Do any of these cats get vet care? I'm guessing no. Are there dead ones littered around the house? There often are in hoarding situations.

Working with a cat rescue to gradually spay/neuter the cats and rehome them is a great idea. My suggestions would be 1) spay the female cats first--they can go into heat every month, basically, so imagine how many kittens each one adds--and 2) get any kittens out of there first, kittens are easy to adopt out.

Bionic Monkey

Oh yeah, I can almost guarantee there are dead cats in the attic and walls. A good number of them are probably feral as well. Like LadyM said, even if some end up euthanized, it'll be more humane than what they're going through right now.

Xtralife

Alright, update time. I'm now working with the pet rescue person I mentioned a couple posts ago. She's given me a list of sanctuaries that would be willing to take in large amounts of animals, and gave some advice about talking with the family. Basically, instead of just pointing out to them that the house is unlivable, or calling them bad people, she said to get them to understand I care. I should also contact these sanctuaries first and get some information so that when I do talk with the family, I have a solution ready for them. They won't listen if I'm just telling them they need to do something.

Also, if that doesn't work, fuck making the tip anonymous. I'm going to go in WITH the cops, because I want the family to know I care. Yeah, they'll chew me out and call me a douche, but what's right is right.

riz

Good luck, man.

Bionic Monkey

Good luck. I really hope it works out.

onceling

There are a lot of great shelters (usually non profit non government ones) that are doing excellent work and would only euthanise a cat that is beyond hope and has no hope for a quality life. Remember this because the parents will probably start in about how awful these people are that are "going to kill their cats" which is completely untrue.

After this is all over, I suggest you and Vincent go ask this lady where you can volunteer your time and services to give back to the places that help his family.

Xtralife

I'm writing an email to a shelter to request their aid. If there's anything I should change or add, please let me know. Full email's in the spoiler.

I'm writing to you because I have seen a horrible, disgusting animal abuse case that could only be defined as an emergency. It has been going on for many years, and though it has nearly stopped a few times, it has reached a point where I cannot ignore it.

A family I know is hoarding cats. The family consists of a man, his second wife, and his son (who is 18, and is finishing high school). I am very good friends with the son, and for about 4 years I have helped him clean his house and do other things. During these years, the number of cats in the household have grown farther than is acceptable. I have attempted to take a census of the cats, and I've counted between 30 to 40.

As you can probably guess, the house is absolutely filthy. The way I would best describe it is that it is unlivable. These people do not live in the house, they merely exist in it. Piles of excrement cover the floor, and cat hair is guaranteed to get on everything that hasn't been covered in urine. A constant smell of ammonia is in the air, except for in the son's room which he keeps free of the cats. I mention this because the son is highly aware that this is a problem. He is the one that must feed and clean up after the cats, as his father and stepmother are either at work or sleeping. As a result, the stench of their eight litterboxes is always around him, and whenever anybody is in the house for an extended period of time, they succumb to the same fate.

And yet, my friend does not take action. Repeatedly he has told me the family is going to move, and that they will send the cats to a shelter before they do. At the same time, my friend has informed me that this has happened three times before, and only was stopped when he and his father got on his stepmother's case about it. Unfortunately, his father is a very intelligent, though meek man. Whatever plan they have to remove the cats, I guarantee it will take longer than necessary, will only be a temporary fix, and all living beings within the house (cats and humans) will suffer.

My friend and his father may listen to reason if I tell him a large shelter is willing to take all the cats. However, the stepmother hoards the cats not because she accidentally lets them get out of hand, she does it out of loneliness. This will happen again and again, unless we can force her into therapy afterwards. It is either this, or I simply contact the local police and bring the law down on them.

Please, if you are able to help, let me know when you can so I can help remove them. I may bring some of my friend's friends as well. It is very important to me that we get these cats out and give them loving homes.

illirica

I would edit your first line. Starting out with "a horrible disgusting animal abuse case" is probably not going to help you win the favor of the shelter. That line is also drastically out of sync with the rest of your letter, which I think strikes a great "caring, concerned" tone. I know you feel strongly about this, but starting out with a line that might put people off or make them think you're a reactionist is going to make them less serious about the rest of your letter.

You could consider for your first paragraph just something like "I am writing to you because I know of many animals being severely neglected. This has been going on for many years, and though it has nearly stopped a few times, the problem persists and has reached a point where I cannot ignore it." I think this is a little less volatile than what you have written.