Alice spent two months in a cage in an SPCA facility before being rescued. Alice would routinely turn the contents of her cage upside down and inside out, so great was her stress from confinement - food dumped into water, blankets buried into litter, paper shredded all about, everything turned topsy turvy, her cage thus soiled, destroyed, and made uninhabitable.
After two months in the SPCA Alice was matted, thin, dehydrated, had ears full of dirt and debris, a dull look to her eyes, and prolapsed third eyelids. Alice was incredibly stressed, and was still tearing up her cage the day she was rescued.
Alice was taken to a veterinarian the same day she came out of the SPCA. Veterinary findings included severe parasitic infestation, dehydration, corneal ulceration, and significant weight loss. Her coat was noted as being dull and matted, and her ears were so badly impacted with dirt and debris that they required flushing under anaesthetic. This was done while Alice was spayed.
The veterinary staff who treated Alice were surprised by the SPCA's warning about her biting and being unhandleable, as was Alice's new owner. Alice was perfectly tractable and gave no one any trouble once removed from her SPCA stainless steel cage.
BC SPCA President Rick Sargent once referred to SPCA "shelters" as being "Alcatrazes for animals". Alice would concur.