ARC official speaks on mission that saved 42 cats in Milan
MILAN, Tenn. — In our continuing coverage, the Animal Rescue Corps answers a call for help from law enforcement to rescue more than 40 cats from what they say were horrendous conditions in Gibson County.
We first brought you this story earlier this month, when three men were cited with animal cruelty charges after what was discovered inside of their home by police. We will warn, some of these images may be disturbing to viewers.
A REQUEST FOR HELP
“The roaches, the spiders, and the buckets of human excrement…digging through the walls,” said Michael Cunningham, public information officer for Animal Rescue Corps.
These are some unforgettable parts of a rescue mission Wednesday by Animal Rescue Corps (ARC) at a home in Milan where three men lived with no running water or electricity.
42 cats were found inside the home, including 4 boxes with litters of kittens. Crews had to wear masks because of the high ammonia levels.
Thousands of cockroaches, spiders, and black mold covered the walls and wooden beams where there was once a ceiling.
ARC’s field team had to use infrared cameras to find the cats hiding in the walls, then cut into the walls to rescue them.
“Some of these heat signatures you just thought wow that’s a pretty big cat and when we opened up the wall we found up to five cats stacked on top of each other inside of the walls,” said Cunningham.
The cats had obvious signs of chronic neglect including eye injuries, fur loss, parasites, and all suffering from malnutrition and dehydration.
The team had a forensic veterinarian on scene to help pinpoint the conditions and illnesses of each animal.
“We are going to help with the prosecution and everything along the way so we create a track record on these people. It also helps establish long-term neglect when we get into the courtroom. These animals didn’t get in these situations overnight,” said Cunningham.
The animals were transported to ARC’s rescue center in Gallatin, Tennessee.
“All of the animals are getting vaccinated, full medical exam, and then we are going to put together a treatment plan for each and every one of them. We will groom them, get rid of all their parasites and do a behavior assessment on every animal and it gives us an overall profile of every animal that we have here,” said Cunningham.
The animals are then matched and transported to partner organizations that will help place the animals into loving homes.
ARC is a national animal protection nonprofit organization that assists law enforcement with large-scale animal cruelty cases in communities that lack resources to address abuse.
This is the third time this year that ARC has responded to a request for help from West Tennessee law enforcement.
In may of this year, ARC rescued 52 animals from two properties in Weakley County.
Many counties in the state do not have animal rescue services at all. The organization says they have done the most rescues in Tennessee.
“And that is not because there is more animal cruelty here. It’s because we have a great relationship with law enforcement here, and they realize the amazing resources we bring to the table for them,” said Cunningham.
A hearing is set for September 4 to condemn the home.
The resources provided by ARC are not permanent. However, they are free, essentially aiding law enforcement by bringing in volunteers to rescue and place the animals in high adoption areas rather than overflowing nearby shelters.
For more Gibson County news click here.
