Hoarding - 212 cats at boarding kennel
Comfort, TX (US)

Incident Date: Wednesday, Jul 27, 2005
County: Kendall

Disposition: Not Charged

Persons of Interest:
» Paula D. Blankenhorn
» Jim Blankenhorn

Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

The SPCA of Texas, headquartered in Dallas, in conjunction with the Kendall County Attorney's Office and Sheriff's department, is removing more than 250 cats from the Wild Cat Ranch Pet Retirement Center, located east of Comfort, Texas about one hour north of San Antonio.

The cats were seized Wednesday, Jul 27, 2005 following a warrant obtained by Kendall County law enforcement officials. Paula D. Blankenhorn, president and operator of the pet retirement center, located at 137 Upper Sisterdale Road in Kendall County, may face charges of animal cruelty.

The cats, ranging from domestic purebreds and mixed breeds to ferals-or wild, untamed cats-lived in crowded and filthy communal conditions including travel trailers and unventilated tool sheds. Lethargic and emaciated, many appear very sick, suffering from severe congestion and lying in pools of waste and phlegm. Cats with contagious diseases such as feline AIDS and leukemia were not properly separated from other cats, according to the SPCA of Texas' chief investigator Ann Barnes, who speculates that many others are also infected.

Kendall County law enforcement officials visited the property yesterday and confirmed the unsatisfactory living conditions of the cats. The SPCA visited the property in June, and prior to that, in the summer of 2004. According to the SPCA of Texas, the cats' living conditions have deteriorated substantially despite multiple warnings to the operators of the facility.

The SPCA of Texas is housing the animals at the Wild Animal Orphanage in San Antonio until a court hearing on Friday, August 5 at 9:30 a.m. at the Historic Courthouse, 201 E. San Antonio Avenue, Boerne, TX 78006, where a judge will determine the cats' final disposition. If the SPCA of Texas is awarded custody of the cats, they may remain in the San Antonio area for several additional days should owners want to reclaim them. By August 15, remaining adoptable cats will be transferred to the SPCA of Texas' north Texas shelters where they will be made available for adoption.

"Our first goal is to re-unite as many cats as possible with their original owners," says SPCA of Texas president James Bias. "These cats were entrusted to the care of a perpetual boarding/life care facility, and this trust has been violated."

The cats will be cared for by the SPCA of Texas and private veterinarians. The Humane Society SPCA of Bexar County in San Antonio also has provided several staff and volunteers to help with the cat's daily care until the upcoming hearing.

According to its website, Wild Cat Ranch is a 53-acre working dairy goat farm as well as a retirement and long-term boarding center for cats and other pets. The website states it was incorporated in 1999 in Delaware doing business in Texas under a Certificate of Authority for a foreign corporation. Known as a non-stock "C" organization, which charges for services at cost (donations are not deductible since it is not a charity), the average charge per pet is $170 per month, or $1,500 a year, if paid in advance.

"Unfortunately, the photos and the information on the website do not depict the cats' actual living conditions," said the SPCA of Texas' Chief Investigator Ann Barnes. "The reality is much, much worse."

Barnes reminds pet owners who wish to place their pet in any long-term care facility that they should visit the facility in person, get recommendations and follow up on their pet's care.

Case Updates

References

• MySA.com - July 28, 2005
• KFDX - July 28, 2005

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