Feb 16 2006
Dear Editor,
I would appreciate the opportunity to clarify some facts about the
SPCA’s necessity to remove 75 cats from the custody of local
resident Gwen Wilson. The SPCA responded to a formal complaint
from a member of the public who was concerned about the health and
safety of the animals in Ms. Wilson’s care. When our animal
protection officers came to check on the property they found the
cats in various states of acute medical distress -- starving,
dehydrated, covered in raw sores, caked in thick layers of dried
feces, infested with parasites and suffering from painful,
untreated medical conditions. While we understand the sympathy
that is being directed towards Ms. Wilson, we hope people will
also appreciate that it was the SPCA’s duty and responsibility to
ensure that those animals received the urgent medical treatment
that they needed.
Ms. Wilson states in your story that the number of cats got “out
of control” but, contrary to what was alleged in your story, she
had the option at any time to surrender those animals at no cost
to the SPCA. We believe that if your readers were aware of the
horrific conditions from which the animals were rescued, they
would understand that the SPCA’s intervention was an absolute
necessity to relieve the suffering of these animals.
Sincerely,
Marcie Moriarty
General Manager, Cruelty Investigations
BC SPCA