Marble – An elderly family unable to care for as many as 60 cats led to a call to the Valley River Humane Society to come to the rescue.
The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office contacted the humane society around Jan. 24 to help rescue the cats. Sheriff Dustin Smith said an elderly man had passed away and his elderly wife was hospitalized, leading to the welfare call for service and discovery of the cats.
According to a post on the humane society’s Facebook page, “We responded with a sheriff’s deputy, managers Cheyenne Spicola and Erika Byers, along with president Don (Reynolds) with his wife, Pattie. We are so grateful to have the opportunity to work with our county’s sheriff’s office in hopes of reducing the amount of stray animals and the chance of the animals re-populating.”
Carol Reagan, office manager at the humane society, said about a dozen cats were picked up during the first visit. Volunteers have been going out each day since then to pick up stragglers.
Many of the cats have already been adopted out, and there is space available at the shelter. However, the nonprofit organization is reaching out for help to feed and care for the onslaught of kittens and cats.
“VRHS is in need of Purina One dry cat food and any canned cat food (kitten or adult),” according to the post. “The animals do have parasites and upper respiratory infections along with some wounds. Donations to help cover the cost of medical and or food is greatly appreciated.”
Donations can be made online at:
- Chewy: chewy.com/.../valley-river-humane-society
- Amazon: amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2O4ED8LWWQ0WW
The facility is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday for in-person donations at 7450 U.S. 19.
The sad spectacle reminded longtime residents of what happened in August 2006, when the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office and Valley River Humane Society rescued more than 100 dogs living in “deplorable” conditions. A Bellview woman had 111 chihuahua and shih tzu mixes, including several pregnant females, eight puppies and three larger dogs.
In a more recent animal case, dozens of dogs, a cat and three birds living under “pretty horrific conditions” were seized in July 2023 in Andrews.