Dozens of cats rescued from rural Sask. home where RCMP found a person dead

Some of the dozens of cats saved from a hoarding situation at a home in rural Saskatchewan are starting to show affection and other signs of recovery, according to one of the animal rescue groups involved.

“The fosters I brought into my own home started rolling around and wanting affection,” SOS Prairie Rescue president Ashlyn Weninger said in an interview Tuesday morning.

“It's such a turnaround from the shut-down state that they were in when we removed them to just realizing things are going to get better now.”

Saskatchewan RCMP called Weninger on Jan. 2 to help remove cats from a home in Wynyard, 175 kilometres southeast of Saskatoon, that was filled with garbage, biological waste and other hazards.

RCMP officers had discovered a human body during a wellness check earlier that day. A second person inside the home was removed and “connected with healthcare services,” an RCMP spokesperson said.

They found no indication of criminal activity and there is no active investigation, RCMP said.

Over two days, volunteers removed 36 cats from the home, and more may be hiding in the detritus. SCAT Street Cat Rescue and Mozart Sympawthy Animal Sanctuary were also involved in the weekend operation.

Volunteers wore hazard safety gear and rubbed Vick’s Vaporub under their nose to fight the stench. Cats had tunneled through layers of garbage to get around the house.

Hoarding is a recognized mental health disorder and is more common than people think, SCAT board member Caitlin Stickney said.

“Often when things have gotten to this point, there have been so many points along the way where people have maybe reached out for help, or others have reached out for help on their behalf, and that help hasn't come for whatever reason,” Stickney said.

The animal rescue groups are seeking foster homes for the cats as well as monetary and food donations.

Weninger said hoarding cases are “very complex” and becoming more common, but the support isn’t there.

“At the root of this is the people and the people are suffering and they have been let down,” she said. “It's usually about access to resources, lack of early prevention, lack of support …They're ignored until they reach these terrible conditions.”

Volunteers found cats covered in urine and feces, some suffering with open sores or wounds, while others appeared malnourished and traumatized.

“Cats, just like any animal, get stressed out living in unsafe or unclean or unhealthy conditions,” Stickney said.

“So you see that stress by them not moving around a lot, trying to hide or isolate themselves. So even though they'd be hungry, they won't necessarily start eating or drinking water right away. They're just kind of shut down.”

Before going to foster homes, the rescued cats are quarantined to ensure they’re healthy and won’t spread disease. They’re put in quiet rooms and given time to adjust to their new surroundings.

Funding cuts are putting more pressure on animal rescue groups, which rely on donations and are often entirely run by volunteers, Stickney added.

“So we're kind of picking away at pieces that we can manage, always playing catchup to a way bigger issue with people and animals needing support and it not being there,” she said.

Going into hoarding situations can take a toll on volunteers, Weninger said.

“Seeing that people and animals are in those conditions and are being ignored and not getting the support that they need is devastating,” she said. “It's been a lot to process for everybody.”