Walker County Animal Control employees prepare top take cats away from a Chickamauga, Ga., on Sept. 4. Hundreds of cats were found in the home.Most of the more than 240 cats found last week in a Chickamauga, Ga., woman's home are still there and the animal control officer says he's not sure what's going to happen to them.
As Walker County animal control workers hauled some 70 cats to the county animal shelter last week, supervisor Curtis Patterson said he expected other area rescue shelters to take in the nearly 200 that remained.
But Tuesday, he said other centers refused to take any of the cats because of health risks.
Alison Smith, the Walker County Animal Shelter manager, said workers have had to euthanize about 30 of the 70 cats they took, which were ill or unsocialized.
"These cats were in imminent danger in the room they were in," Smith said. "They'd never been outside with wind in their whiskers. They're very feral, and they're horrifically sick."
She said the state inspector recommended euthanizing all of them, but shelter workers are observing the cats for a while before making that decision. Smith said this emphasizes the importance of spaying, neutering and vaccinating all pets. Vaccinating pets against rabies is state and county law.
"(The owners) allow themselves to be at great risk, and it makes no sense to me," she said. "It compromises our community and it compromises our ability to care for God's creatures."
Mark Murrah, manager of the companion animal section of the Georgia Department of Agriculture, said the department has filed 16 regulatory violations against the cats' owner.
"The main violation was operating without a license, but there were some additional violations that if an entity was licensed, that would come into play," he said.
Murrah said the state or county will determine whether the woman, whose name has not been released, faces criminal charges. He also confirmed that area rescue groups had been contacted, but he could not say whether they were refusing to take the cats.
"I can speculate that many of these cats were sick and diseased," he said. "If any of the rescue groups decide they do want to help with this situation, they have to take that into account."
Patterson said animal control officers may go in early next week to remove the rest of the cats if they can find a place to take them.
Smith said if need be, the county shelter will take in more cats.
"We will always find a way to make room," she said.
Contact staff writer Hannah Smith at hsmith@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6731.