OSPCA sets traps in house overrun with cats
Posted September 27, 2013 1:23 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) has set live traps in a Beach home where it believes cats may be hiding.
The organization secured a warrant for the house near Kingston Road and Victoria Park Avenue after years of complaints from neighbours.
The OSPCA team wore thick rubber boots as they entered the house and a veterinarian also went inside.
The house was filled with feces, flies and urine-soaked newspapers, officials said Friday.
Open cans of cat food were also spotted.
Neighbours had said the cats were everywhere: crawling on the roof, congregating on the front porch and peeking out of the home’s dusty windows. They told CityNews they haven’t seen the homeowner in about a week and she may be staying with a friend.
However, despite complaining to the city about the situation and frequent visits from Toronto police and firefighters, they hadn’t seen any changes until now.
Area residents took matters into their own hands this week, trapping a total of 47 felines and handing them over to animal control, which will have them spayed, neutered, and released into feral colonies.
That may have significantly controlled the cat population, but the mess and smell remained.
Crews wearing full hazmat (hazardous materials) suits cleaned up the outside of the home on Wednesday.
The street was closed down as fire, police, animal services, the OSPCA, and four junk removal trucks showed up to begin the long-awaited cleanup.
Cats were a large part of the problem, but the property was also littered with years of accumulated junk and debris that were hauled away.
The cleanup initiative came after Beaches-East York Coun. Mary-Margaret McMahon arranged a meeting with the agencies.
With files from CityNews.ca staff
