Thursday, March 28, 2024
animal rescueanimal welfarecatsTNR

Apartment Maintenance Personnel Inhumanely Trap and Dump Feral Cats

Please take the time to make a phone call on behalf of homeless cats to help stop a continuing situation near Pittsburgh.

Michelle Miller, Executive Adminstrator at the Homeless Cat Management Team in Pittsburgh, alerted the Pittsburgh Feral Cat Movement group on Facebook that a maintenance person or caretaker at a North Hills apartment building had been bragging about trapping raccoons and cats and dumping them “across the river”. A visit from a humane agent brought excuses from the manager that this was a “bad joke” and no such thing was happening.

Michelle continued pressing the issue with the building manager and the owners and along with Vicki Stringfellow Cook of Pittsburgh Animal Rescue Examiner corresponded with the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society where the cats were purported to be taken. No cats had arrived there at the hands of these people, yet cats were trapped and removed.

Homeless Cat offered the management and the building owner to set up a TNR program for them at no cost to or effort by the management, they briefly considered but decided instead to continue trapping cats and taking them to the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society. The WPHS will not euthanize any cat that is ear-tipped and does not have a policy of euthanizing feral cats upon arrival, but kittens are already beginning to arrive at the shelter and decisions must be made for all the cats.

Not in any conversation did anyone from the apartment management or real estate agency indicate the cats were a problem in any way or give any reason for them to be removed.

Michelle writes, “Cascades Apartments are located in the North Hills of Pittsburgh, PA, at 100 East West Drive, 412.301.3346. Maintenance personnel have irresponsibly and inhumanely trapped 9 cats and ‘dumped’ them in various locations around in Allegheny County.

“PRG Real Estate owns and operates The Cascades. Sadly, after a humane investigation, it was determined we had not enough hard proof for a case. PRG has now in retaliation instructed the Cascades personnel to trap the remaining cats on the property and surrender them to the Western PA Humane Society. The cats are not ‘adoptable’ and will be certainly euthanized. We need YOU to be the voice for the voiceless!

“There are approximately 6-8 cats left they are trying to trap and kill. We want to save their lives. HCMT has offered to do a T/N/R project for FREE. Instead, PRG wants them removed and killed! TNR is an effective and humane solution to the problem at the Cascades created by a former resident. Why should the Cascades dump their problem on the local animal shelter and cost TAXpayers money!

“BE RESPONSIBLE PRG!!!!!!!!!!!!

“Please call PRG Real Estate and tell them how cruel and unncessary this is, and that you are United for a Humane Cascades Complex! Thank you!

“PRG Philly Office 215-744-1200

“PRG Columbus Office 614-885-5482 (Amy Cain is the Regional Property Mgr who gave the “official” statement that they have authorized the removal of the cats from their HOME)

“PLEASE CALL….AND SHARE THIS CAUSE…HELP SAVE INNOCENT LIVES! “

Unfortunately this type of “removal” quietly happens in cases like this all the time, where individuals decide to trap cats who have made a home where a human thinks they don’t belong. We know there are better solutions than inhumanely trapping and removing them, but we can’t force anyone into that decision.

But we can call them on it, literally, and point out to others what they are doing so that in the light of public opinion they are exposed.

For more information, also read this article on the Pittsburgh Animal Rescue Examiner.

Please call, and let them know this is wrong!

Bernadette

From health and welfare to rescue and adoption stories, advocacy and art, factual articles and fictional stories, "The Creative Cat" offers both visual and verbal education and entertainment about cats for people who love cats, pets and animals of all species.

6 thoughts on “Apartment Maintenance Personnel Inhumanely Trap and Dump Feral Cats

  • Don’t worry, Mr. Woodsman, I am planning something very special for your comments.

    Reply
  • We still have such a long way to go in educating the public about the misconceptions of feral cats and how successful TNR programs can be when managed properly. It is hard to believe that even after an organization steps in to help with TNR, for free, that the apartment complex does not see that as a viable solution. I will voice my opinion to them and hope a difference can be made.

    Reply
  • Bernadette,
    The WPHS actually will euthanize feral cats immediately if they are not ear-tipped. They actually very rarely call us to reclaim ear-tipped cats at all, unfortunately.

    Reply
    • Really–I thought they’d at least give them a chance depending on temperament. I’ve met a few there now and they who have been rounded up, but considering the number they get. Guess we’ll have to get it all straight.

      Reply
  • What a shame. I’ve come across this same situation too many times. I try so hard to educate people performing theses acts, but they never care to hear what I have to say.

    However, I assisted with a TNR project in an apartment complex in Moon that has been very successful. The managers were very supportive of TNR and helped make it happen. So far they’ve been happy with the results. I will contact them and see if they will be willing to call this management company. I will also make a call to them personally.

    Is anyone going down to try to trap these last few cats before they end up at WPHS? Unfortunately relocation is difficult as the feral cats will often try to find their way back home. Often they encounter very sad ends in the process. Successful relocation depends on a lot of factors, especially being able to confine them for a minimum of 3 weeks and doing a slow release in a new area. The failure rate of relocation tends to be high.

    And of course, there aren’t unlimited homes willing to take in these feral cats. I have one here that I still can’t touch after 5 years. I had to re-trap and bring his colony home because a property manager (who initially gave me permission to TNR) changed his mind and called AC to remove/exterminate all of the cats. I had to act fast and my home was the fastest relocation site.

    is there anyone at all willing to house these cats until an alternative can be found if they still refuse TNR?

    Melanie

    Reply
    • Melanie, that would be great! I know it’s just recently I’ve heard of feral cat colonies being more accepted–most of the time it seemed they were fine for a while until someone discovered them who didn’t like cats. I’ll let the group know of your experience and maybe you can coordinate something with them.

      Reply

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