Urgent Need in Jones County, GA

Last week I received a call from the Jones County, GA animal control department asking for my help. There is a woman, elderly, very ill with COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) needing help to find placement for 22 cats and kittens; I'll call her Ms. M. Only six of the cats belong to her (the adults); they are spayed or neutered, and just need to get up to date on their shots. Two pregnant moms and two adults were put on her property because people in the area know she would never refuse an animal in need. Unfortunately, Jones County AC has a black cloud looming over it - the former manager is currently under indictment on felony charges related to her job. As a result, the locals would rather "dump" animals than call the AC.

This wonderful, caring lady is doing what she can to help, but it's a struggle as she is on a very fixed income. Often times, she will go without food in order to insure the cats have enough to eat. I went down last week to visit and take pictures of the cats & kittens and brought $100 worth of food and litter to help. Ms. M has to make do with her social security payments since her medical condition has drained her savings. Her single-wide trailer is very old; parts of the flooring are actually caving in. She's trying her best, but the COPD is far enough along where breathing is getting hard. It's dangerous for Ms. M to be living without a caregiver; however, she refuses to go into a nursing home until the cats are placed. Ms. M refuses to turn the cats over to the AC; last year, the former AC manager came out to her trailer to pick up the abandoned cats. A true credit to her office, the manager simply chased the cats over the neighbor's fence where pit bulls literally ripped the cats to pieces in front of Ms. M and other witnesses. So, when Ms. M says the AC will get the cats "over her dead body", she means it. Frankly, I'm okay with that, since Jones County's euthanasia rate is an appalling 90%.

I have personally taken in two of the kittens - an eighteen-week old special needs kitten named Simon and a eight-week old named Morgan. I've had them checked by a vet and am actively trying to get them healthy and happy.

I'll be posting regular updates as we try to find these beautiful babies good homes! If anyone out there would like to help, please send me an e-mail and I'll follow up with you directly.