83 Persian cats taken into care by BC SPCA after owner’s death

The BC SPCA is taking care of 83 Persian-mix cats after the family of their late owner contacted the organization.

A total of 63 cats were taken to the Surrey centre by Drive for Lives, while the other 20 were taken to Kamloops.

According to the BC SPCA, its Surrey animal centre and Good Shepherd Barn have become a triage facility for large cat intakes across the province.

“Intaking and providing care for 83 cats requires a significant investment of resources,” says Layla Gilhooly, manager of the BC SPCA Surrey animal centre and Good Shepherd Barn.

“Especially given their condition, with at least half of them still needing a spay or neuter surgery, various medical treatments, and most requiring significant grooming.”

Gilhooly added that the cats were originally fearful hiding under towels and in their kennels, which she said was “expected.”

“Despite their nervousness, many of the cats were quite friendly during intake – purring, making air biscuits and leaning in for pets,” she said.

While the cats were friendly, a large number of them were extremely matted. Some had to be shaved to relieve their discomfort.

“Severe matting is very uncomfortable, often even painful, and can cause skin irritation as the mats trap bacteria and dead skin cells,” Gilhooly explains. “Some of the cats also had feces matted into their fur.”

The cats are all being treated for giardia, which is a five-day course of medication and a good bath to remove eggs, as well as roundworm.

Gilhooly says most of the cats are underweight and a few of the cats have dental concerns including broken canine teeth and gingivitis.

Additionally, some cats are being treated for varying degrees of upper respiratory infection, with symptoms like severe congestion, sneezing and eye and nasal discharge.

“Some of the cats are on antibiotics to clear up these infections. We are monitoring a few others to see if they recover by themselves. If their symptoms worsen, we will be taking them to a veterinary clinic for further treatment.”

Given the time and space needed to care for these cats, 27 of those triaged in Surrey have been relocated to other centres to find forever homes, while 36 remain in Surrey.

The BC SPCA says some of the cats will require further socialization before they will be available for adoption.

Some will be available as early as tomorrow and others will be added to the BC SPCA’s adoption page over the next few weeks.