Caboodle Ranch: *Breaking News* Rescue Efforts Underway to Save the Cats

furryfriends50

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http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20120228/NEWS01/202280309/UPDATE-ASPCA-cat-removal-underway-Madison-County-ranch

After dozens of calls from concerned people who visited Caboodle Ranch in Madison County, Daphna Nachminovitch, vice president of cruelty investigations for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said something had to be done.

Nachminovitch said PETA often performs undercover investigations and an employee posed as a volunteer at the 30-acre, tree-lined ranch from September to February, capturing some gruesome footage from the no-kill ranch.

"Cats at Caboodle Ranch suffered from open wounds, debilitating respiratory disease, parasites, eye ulcerations and more," Nachminovitch said. "'No kill' was really 'slow kill' for hundreds of cats in this grossly inhumane cat ranch."
here is a facebook page that should be kept up-to-date on the rescue efforts: http://www.facebook.com/caboodleranch.savethekitties
 

resqchick

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Here is an absolutely outstanding article on the very sad situation: http://www.examiner.com/pet-rescue-in-dayton/peta-strikes-again

PETA scares the bejesus out of me. I love animals. All animals. I don't believe in ever harming an animal, but PETA says "Pets would be better off dead then living in an unnatural state as someones pet"

They are like the extremist terrorists of the animal rescue world. I'd be afraid to see what they'd do in my house, with my babies. 
 

feralvr

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It hurts me deeply to my core and breaks my heart into pieces when I think of the terrible, deplorable conditions of Caboodle and the suffering - slow-kill deaths these cat's endured. How could this have gone on so long.... :shame: :sniffle:
 
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ldg

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PETA scares the bejesus out of me. I love animals. All animals. I don't believe in ever harming an animal, but PETA says "Pets would be better off dead then living in an unnatural state as someones pet"

They are like the extremist terrorists of the animal rescue world. I'd be afraid to see what they'd do in my house, with my babies. 
:yeah: Like the article I linked to states

PETA uses their donated funds to pay for the unnecessary killing of nearly every companion animal they come in contact with. Nathan Winograd’s March 29, 2009 blog, stated, “PETA paid $9,370 of its members donations in order for them to install a large walk-in freezer to store all the bodies of dead animals PETA kills at its headquarters.”PETA decided it would be wise to use their donated funds to purchase a freezer to house the loads of dead animals they produce…Which beckon’s the question- what now will become of the cats who once lived at Caboodle Ranch? Now that PETA has had their self-proclaimed “victory”- what happens to the cats?

The cats who came to Caboodle Ranch were unwanted by owners or had spent time sitting behind the cold bars of an unfriendly shelter. They had already endured a difficult start in life. They came to Caboodle Ranch hoping for a second chance at life- a chance to live a long, healthy and loved life. Apparently taking on too much, Grant got in over his head and as it has been shown in PETA released videos, did not provide a proper standard of medical care or environmental care for the cats in his care. So now, PETA steps in and seizes hundreds of cats- and where are they now? Are they safe? Are they being “medically treated” as necessity deems- or are they becoming part of the 97% of annual PETA deaths? Are they too being added to the PETA freezer purchased with donor funds?

PETA paints the picture that all no-kill rescue organizations and sanctuary’s are just like Caboodle Ranch. In one video released today, PETA stated, “Don’t be fooled by the No Kill Myth.” Furthermore, they called rescues “unregulated”. What about PETA and their 97% kill rate? Who is regulating them? PETA says to support “open intake shelters”, not “rescues”. So, to be clear, PETA says we should support open-intake shelters like the New York ACC who have allegations of neglect and as Sarah Wallace reported on November 24, 2010, "Insiders say animals under the care of Animal Care and Control are housed in deplorable conditions - cats stacked in small cages and dogs often not walked for days." According to PETA, we should send our donations to shelters like the New York ACC to help promote daily killing and abuse? If you’re an animal lover, and you probably are if you’re reading this article, do you feel confused about where to donate your money to truly help the animals? You’re not alone.

The media loves to glorify “hoarding” stories. They love drama and they love a story that will bring out people’s emotions. But why is it that we have to side with one or the other- kill shelters or no-kill efforts? Why isn’t the effort instead, focused on helping the animals? Why, when local grassroots rescue organizations ask to work together with local humane society’s and county pounds, do they get turned down? Why do organizations like the HSUS, ASPCA and PETA seem to only care about money and not about the welfare of the animals they have pledged to help? Instead of claiming “victory” for shutting down a fellow animal advocacy organization, why not take a different approach- Why not collaborate?


It hurts me deeply to my core and breaks my heart into pieces when I think of the terrible, deplorable conditions of Caboodle and the suffering - slow-kill deaths these cat's endured. How could this have gone on so long.... :shame: :sniffle:
It was a beautiful sanctuary. It hurts me to the core, too, that cats needed medical care - some of them desperately. But now approximately 700 cats are sitting in little cages in trailers with an unknown fate. This is better? When I thought one of our ferals had a broken leg last year, I was unable to trap her. Thankfully, it turned out that was not the case. But in a sanctuary where not-always-social-cats are given a place to live out their lives...

I haven't watched the videos, and I'm sure it's horrifying. I'm sure there were friendly, social kitties that needed medical attention desperately. I am not defending Mr. Grant, but like Stacey Ritz, I am questioning the reaction to the situation.

Instead of spending $10,000 (which the ASPCA says this has cost so far) on removing the cats to "collect evidence" against the Caboodle Ranch owner - why not spend that money on rounding up the cats for vet care, adding (another?) facility for treating sick kitties, etc. Why close down the ranch and convict Mr. Grant? How many Directors of ASPCA shelters have gone to jail for animal abuse when their facilities have been found ... lacking?

Obviously Mr. Grant got in over his head, and this is a horribly, terribly sad situation. But cat sheltering is not an easy thing, and this definition of animal abuse appalls me. It's VERY unclear how many cats were sick, how many were in "desperate" need of medical care. This does not, however, appear to be Tiger Ranch, with dozens of dead cats lying around and dozens more packed into freezers. It doesn't make it OK. But it does make me question the process.

What matters is the cats, and I do not believe this was the best solution for them. And will we ever know how many of them wind up dead? And PETA will feel, "good job done," because they think cats are better off dead than pets or with a URI in a sanctuary. Of course, this is an organization that thought the best use of $9,500 was a new freezer to "house" the animals they're killing, because they're killing them so fast.
 
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feralvr

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I just read the article Laurie provided written by Stacey Ritz. I did not know such facts about PETA. The extremely high kill percentage of all animals that PETA rescues..... seizes. There is something really, really wrong when people give a donation to such an organization as PETA thinking it is going to the care of the animals, the saving of animals or investigation of cruelty to animals and that donation is actually going towards euthansia of the animals and the storage of the dead animals. :shocked: I can only imagine, though, how many more situations/cases there are out there like Caboodle Ranch. The numbers must be staggering. :shame:

Mr. Grant did not do right by those cat's whether or not he was in over his head, that is just completely unacceptable and abusive how he let those cat's suffer and then die without veterinary intervention. :nono: Maybe his heart was in the right place when he began Caboodle, but he should not have run that sanctuary with such emotion that it blocked the reality of the situation unfolding right before his eyes. I can't imagine how he could just do nothing for so long seeing the cats in agony and deteriorating. How cruel..... :bawling: He let his emotions rule his brain and did not have enough sense to say no more, no more cat's and reach out for help to save some of those very, very ill and diseased kitties to end their suffering humanely. I can surely understand how easily it would be to get over loaded with so many cat's so quickly. What a heartbreaking life for these cat's going from one bad situation to another and finally another. I am not sure how I feel about PETA and the way the situation was handled, but I know something had to be done and why it took so long is beyond my comprehension. I don't know the whole extent of the situation and how far back this goes with Mr. Grant. I did not watch any videos either - I don't think I can watch them and see the suffering. No matter how you turn this story, it is really just heartbreaking, the cat's suffering from start to finish :bawling: :bawling2:
 
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cosabella

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Regardless of one's opinion of PETA, I think we should redirect our attention to the horrors that has been going on at Caboodle Ranch for years.  There have been complaints lodged against Caboodle by animal lovers who visited the place.  The "sanctuary" was not shut down based solely on PETA's video.  The video was the final nail in the coffin. 

I heard about Caboodle from a feature segment on Animal Planet and then again on The Colbert Report.  I was in awe of Mr. Grant because I only saw what he wanted the world to see.  Such fluff pieces often don't tell the whole story and does the public a great disservice. 

In the days after the story broke, I have been doing some reading and read the testimonies of cat lovers who have visited the ranch, taken photos, have talked to her Mr. Grant and many even offering help.  He refused all help.  It was his ranch and he was going to run it the way he wanted to.  Adoption was not an option.  The kitties came for a permanent stay.  There was no program to spay/neuter.  There are accusations that he misused the non-profit's funds for his personal gain.  In 2010, Caboodle received 150K in donations.  

In February of 2011, the same reporter now writing about the mass removal, profiled Mr. Grant and shed a dark light into the inner-workings at sanctuary.  She had been the only person who took eyewitnesses' complaints seriously. 
In October, a cat rescuer in Naples named Gary Conley headed to Caboodle Ranch with four unwanted cats. Conley had been paying $100 a week to board them.

But as he looked around, Conley, 61, realized real-life Caboodle Ranch was a lot different from Internet Caboodle Ranch. Caboodle Ranch's website featured stunning cats with smooth coats.

As Conley walked around, he saw sneezing cats, skinny cats with sunken bellies, lots of cats roaming outside the fenced Caboodle Ranch.

A brown cat rubbed against his leg and he saw what looked like a twig stuck to its side. He reached down to remove it and realized it was a rib; the cat had a compound fracture.

"This cat needs medical attention," Conley said he told Grant.

"He said, 'Why? It ain't bothering him,' " Conley recalled.

In the infirmary Conley saw 30 or so cats.

"They were all just laying there in their own feces and vomit and urine," he said. "They were laying there waiting to die."

http://www.tampabay.com/features/humaninterest/article1151027.ece
It should be noted that after the article was printed, Caboodle threatened to sue the reporter.
The cats who came to Caboodle Ranch were unwanted by owners or had spent time sitting behind the cold bars of an unfriendly shelter. They had already endured a difficult start in life.
As the saying goes, out of the frying pan and into the fire.  Regardless of what Mr. Grant's intent were or whether his heart was in the right place, what we have are the evidence of severe neglect and abuse.  If resident cats endured a difficult start in life, the end for many were painful, inhumane, and undignified.  I keep thinking that many of these owners thought they were sending their kitties to Disney World, but it ended up being a concentration camp. 

I have no sympathy for Mr. Grant.  I will reserve my sympathy for the countless numbers of cats who suffered and died at the hands of a man who was entrusted with their lives.  The photos on the Save the Kitties Facebook is heartbreaking.  We can't call ourselves a civilized nation when these kinds of atrocities against the most vulnerable members of our society is allowed to happen. 
 

ldg

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Regardless of one's opinion of PETA, I think we should redirect our attention to the horrors that has been going on at Caboodle Ranch for years.  There have been complaints lodged against Caboodle by animal lovers who visited the place.  The "sanctuary" was not shut down based solely on PETA's video.  The video was the final nail in the coffin. 
I don't think anyone that hasn't been there can claim whether or not there were horrors happening.

If conditions were so horrible, why did it take PETA five months to produce a few minutes of video segments of cats in need? If conditions were that deplorable, wouldn't a few days be more than enough? Apparently one of the buildings filmed (that had no cats in it) was slated for demolition. The person who filmed the video was volunteering - and supposed to be the person responsible for cleaning up. If there was filth - it was because she wasn't doing the job she was supposed to be doing.

Sorry, but I think PETA's motives are extremely important in what happened here.

The Ranch addresses several of the people hounding them in a January blog post: http://caboodleranch.livejournal.com/2012/01/07/ including Mr. Conely, the person quoted in the article you cite.


Cosabella said:
I heard about Caboodle from a feature segment on Animal Planet and then again on The Colbert Report.  I was in awe of Mr. Grant because I only saw what he wanted the world to see.  Such fluff pieces often don't tell the whole story and does the public a great disservice. 

In the days after the story broke, I have been doing some reading and read the testimonies of cat lovers who have visited the ranch, taken photos, have talked to her Mr. Grant and many even offering help.  He refused all help.  It was his ranch and he was going to run it the way he wanted to.  Adoption was not an option.  The kitties came for a permanent stay.  There was no program to spay/neuter.  There are accusations that he misused the non-profit's funds for his personal gain.  In 2010, Caboodle received 150K in donations.  
I've been doing a lot of reading as well, and it is still not at all clear to me that this was an appropriate reaction.

You seriously think $150,000 is a lot of money to care for 700 cats and 30 acres?

Further, there was no adoption program because this was a sanctuary. The ASPCA itself was surrendering cats to Caboodle Ranch. It was intended to be a sanctuary for unadoptable cats. Further, the claim that there was no spay/neuter program is meaningless. The cats were supposed to arrive spayed & neutered when surrendered. Yes, there were some pregnancies. But cats were spayed and neutered. Litters of cats were not rampant.

I wasn't there. I don't know what happened, and I am not defending Mr. Grant. When it seems PETA (and a handful of disgruntled people) is/are the main eyewitness(es), I am very, very, leery.

I do know there are two sides to every story. Here's one of the other sides of this one: http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/...-operator-says-confiscated-records-detail-his

There are also other "eyewitnesses" (volunteers) that spent time there, and they had a very different experience than PETA or Mr. Conely.

(13) Dale Swisher says:

I went to CR in June, 20010m and then spent a week at CR as a volunteer last March. Most of the cats were happy and looked great. Of course I saw cats with URIs, and some skin conditions, but the accusations of cat abuse and neglect are false. I was able to see all areas of the ranch, no area was not accessible. The vet came one day, and all cats were treated. I know the amount of work that Craig puts in every day. I think this raid was disgusting. The video may or may not have been taken at CR. It may have been taken years ago. There have been many improvements. The Ranch was completing all the requirements necessary to get the EAH permit required by the County. They passed the AC reviews. There may have been some cats with open wounds–some wounds heal better exposed to the air. The cats had ample food, water, shelter. New cabins, two watch dogs in training. Yes, they can be outside–most cats would love that. I am utterly sick at this action and will do what I can to remedy it. A NJ fan.
This is one of the commentsfrom the about.com article. http://cats.about.com/b/2012/02/27/caboodle-ranch-shut-down-owner-arrested.htm . There are many others like it.

There is no way to know the truth of the situation other than to have been there.

Whatever was really going on - I do not believe that spending millions of dollars to remove the animals is the right approach. Spend that money on vet care, get a temporary injunction and put in new management. 700 cats in crates, most of which will most likely end up being murdered, is not the solution. IMO.

The ASPCA estimates this rescue will cost $3 million. http://cats.about.com/b/2012/03/01/update-on-caboodle-ranch.htm They are going to spend $3 million shutting down Caboodle Ranch.

I'm sorry. But spend that $3 million ON Caboodle Ranch and vet care for the cats THERE.
 
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