Board in dark about cat removal

MOUNT VERNON — The recent removal of all of the cats from the Knox County Humane Society Cat Shelter was done without the knowledge or approval of the humane society board of directors, according to board president David Guffey.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 6th, 2010 at 10:26 amand is filed under story. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

  • chris p

    cats have feelings to.it makes me sick to think about what happen to those cats.

  • my2centsworth

    Are cats eatable? I’ve heard they eat them in China. hum? hum? Wonder if they roast up like a turkey?
    Now theres a idea to clean up the over run of cats. After all, they do it for deer.

    • ohplease

      oh i think you are getting out of hand!! you want to talk about eating cats, you are gross and if you can’t say anything to help solve the problem then you need to keep your MOUTH SHUT!!!do you not have anything eles to do with your time? i think that’s really sad!! go get a hobby and quit poisoning people with your ignorant thoughts!

      • my2centsworth

        To “oh please”…… What makes you think my comment isnt a thought to help the solution?

        Do you eat cows yourself? Pigs? Chickens? Deer? Take my comment however you want,.. but this is a fact in some countries. They view animals as food,…but in our land many animals are spoiled, & viewed as our children.

        But I will admit, I was being a bit sarcastic, but the fact still remains that many cats & dogs should be annually killed to stop the overgrowth. You can take my viewpoint or not, I dont care.
        The fact is, this would solve the problem, along with sterilization of the ones left over.

        Just had another thought your not going to like, but here goes….. Ship the cats to China. They will feed many families over there.
        (now settle down, remember your blood pressure) :)

    • Paul

      I’ve been to China and you don’t see stray cats there.

  • AGK

    Tuesday January 5, 2010
    Letter to the editor
    Editor, the News:
    As of Dec. 31, 2009, the out-going administration of the KCHS cat shelter has found homes for all cats at the shelter either through adoption, foster care in preparation for adoption, or transport to many feline rescue organizations. These are all methods approved of and used for dogs by the canine group which is now in charge of the cat shelter.
    The new administration can start instituting their population control plans at the cat shelter with a clean slate, thanks to many dedicated friends of cats.
    A. G. Kindel
    Mount Vernon

  • BJF

    I THINK SOMEONE SHOULD LOOK INTO WHERE ALL THE MONIES THAT WERE DONATED TO THE SHELTER WENT. If it is supposed to be a no kill facility, then why euthanize 200 cats!!!!! Be thankful that someone saved the creatures, after all, God loves cats, too. I am not that crazy about them, but to KILL them for no reason is just WRONG!!!!!!!! Thanks to whoever saved them!!!!!!

  • Chaz

    I agree with Lou, such a heinus act should carry a very severe penalty. Those responsible deserve to have the same inhumane action taken against them as they have taken against the cats. People of this caliber have no business being in charge of animals period and if the cats disappeared under their watch, what will happen to the dogs? Sooner or later the stench in this woodpile will be uncovered and those responsible will have to answer for what they have done.

  • Lou

    Whoever is responsible for this should be fired. These are living beings who shouldn’t be punished because they wre born into animal bodies rather than human bodies. If a nursing home were overrun with ederly people who only had months to live and more people were waiting to get in, would it be acceptable to let those die to accomodate those waiting? Absolutely not!!!! I realize there are many who don’t like animals and specifically cats, but that doesn’t negate their right to live. Each and every one of us has people who dislike us, but does that mean that the people you don’t like fail to have the right to live?? No way! None of us would be here if that were the case! Whoever did this knows they did it and they need to be exposed and properly punished including fines and jail time if applicable.

  • misfitsnmayhem

    The facts are that the cats were removed from the building on the night BEFORE the new board members took over. They were removed obviously by someone that had access to the building and it was a planned calculated move. At that time the sheriff could not do anything about it because it was one sides story against the others. The cats are now being hidden by the same people that removed them from the building. The shelter is in desperate need of repairs and cleaning. It has not been properly maintained for YEARS and while it is empty they might as well take advantage of this and clean/repair so that it can be a nice facility for a new group of cats and a fresh start. If you are all so worried about what is going on, call the shelter and ask what you can do to help get things headed in the right direction so that Knox county can have a Humane Society to be proud of.

  • my2centsworth

    Kandy, I agree . Too many strays, but the shelter would not take anymore because they had no room.

    Thats what happens when you have a “no destroy” rule. They keep the same cats at the shelter for years, which makes no room for other homeless cats. There should be a certain length of time for a cat to be sold (yes…I said sold, not adopted, its a animal, not a child),…..if it isnt sold, it needs to be destroyed.

    Everyone whines about all the poor cats in the cold, & their hungry, but it is their own rules that is causing the cats to have nowhere to go. Destroy them after so long of a time, & take in new ones,…repeat the cycle, repeat the cycle.
    I keep saying…they are not humans, they are animals. The same with deer season or anything else,..if not controlled there will be overflow of cats.

    I used to have litters of cats living in the loft of my garage. Took them to the shelter but they refused them. Had no room. One cat was injured, the hide was slit open. They still refused it. I looked around at that one eyed cat, & that one sneezing, & that other ugly one, & about ten black ones all looked the same,….thinking how they should destroy about 20 of those & make room for more.

    So these “no destroy the cat” policy only hurts the cats themselves. Every cat or dog that is born does not need to live. They are animals, not humans.
    Its funny now that the heat is on, & all of a sudden they found somewhere to put the cats. Hum, Hum.
    But when knox county residents take in the strays,….oh no, theres no room.

    Wish they would have made room for the strays in my garage, by getting rid of a few dozen cats a long time ago.

  • dave

    someone said they live out in the country and people drop cats off?? i have a question.
    do you own a gun? i know its not nice but it’s not your or your elderly nieghbor ladies burden or job
    to feed these cats. do the math on this. you feed them, they go do what stray cats do and then you have 22 more kittens.. so, you either spay/nueter them or you are part of the problem. get it?
    you just can’t let them keep breeding. and i agree with jc about someones ignorance. she does not understand that there were NO laws broken. it was not a breaking and entering or a theft since the animals are NOT owned by the humane society. try to comprehend this: if the humane society does not have a problem with some missing crates and paperwork then you should leave them be. or were you going to go adopt a cat this week??? i’m sure someone knows what is going on and they aren’t telling mr. guffey.

  • Kandy

    Sounds like a cover up for sure.The cat shelter,wasn’t ran right,but I hope those cats are in a better place.I had a problem of people dropping cats off to me ,cause I am out in the country.I had 6 mommy cats and 22 kittens at one time.The shelter couldn’t take any of them in because they were full.Always full.I couldn’t get them to understand that they were not my cats and I could not feed all of them.I wondered why they had a shelter,if they wouldn’t ever take in any stray cats.What were they there for?????I know an elderly lady right now that had like 18 cats at her door every morning wanting food.She is on a fixed income and in a wheel chair.Hard for her to wheel out on her ramp to feed them.Sometimes they come in her door when it is opened,then she has trouble getting them back outside.The shelter again told her they couldn’t take any more cats.They were full.Why is she expected to care for all those stray cats?I think the whole place needs to be investigated and a new plan put into place for the care of those strays.Because of them saying they are always full,is why I get cats dropped off at my house,and that elderly lady’s house,that can’t afford to feed them.They need to spay/nuter for free,maybe that would cut down on some of the cats.Or better yet,someone needs to make some cat food with some birth control in it.Big help right there….

  • jc

    Annie, that has got to be the most ignorant statement I have ever heard.

    The cats were removed from the shelter by fanatics who were making a statement about the propsed policies of the new board.

    The new board, in place Jan. 1, had no knowledge of the crime, which is THEFT: crates, supplies, and records. Not cats, which are not considered property.

    David Guffey, president of the board, is not required to live at the shelter 24/7/365 to ensure that fanatics do not abduct all the cats.

    By your reasoning every parent of a kidnapped child should be arrested and charged with a crime since their child was reomved under their “watch.”

    • Voice For Them

      JC, clearly you are confused. Since someone from the sheriff’s office claimed they could do nothing, as there was no breaking and entering, I’m not sure where you come up with the theft and fanatics theory. Someone who had total access to that building, clearly being him or someone on his staff, gained access to that building, and clearly something illegal and inhumane was going on for it to have taken place between 7 pm and midnight. David Guffey and his staff should indeed be held responsible for whatever is going on here. Someone needs to fess up here, and they should all be held responsible until said someone does cough up the facts. Talk about an ignorant statement, from what I recall, most parents who are responsible for their child’s disappearance or worse, are certainly charged with a crime. I’m also a little confused here: You say no crime was committed where the cats are concerned. When did the humane society and Mr. Guffey become guardian over a bunch of crates, supplies and records, but not the animals who have no voice, but look to the only option they have whether they like it or not. That being the Mr. Guffey and his staff. And this is where they end up. Gone, and I shudder to think where they have gone to. I would like to know the name of the other shelters, etc., that took these cats. If Mr. Guffey and his staff can’t give the answers to that, because those helpless creatures were somehow otherwise dealt with, then Mr. Guffey is absolutely responsible and should be treated as such.

      What I’m wondering here is what kind of conditions Mr. Guffey and his staff were keeping these cats in to begin with. From the sounds of it they were living in vermon and filth. When all of the cats are “gone”, then is when they decide to rid the building of the vermon and filth, and do a little remodeling??? People report others to the humane society so that action will be taken to remove cats that are living in such conditions. I understand all too well that funding is practically non-existent for cat shelters, but that is absolutely no excuse for making them live in vermon and filthy conditions. If this shelter can’t afford soap, water, generic cat food if necessary, and major amounts of compassion, then they shouldn’t have opened the doors to begin with.

      I will continue to follow up with this man and his staff, until I have some answers. If the sheriff’s office won’t do it, those who hired this man and his staff won’t do it, and no one else is willing to be a voice for these innocent, helpless cats, who’s only needs were a clean, warm bed, a bowl of food and love from someone out there, then I’ll be that voice, and I will get answers. I hope that others will join me in prayer for the lives of those little souls.

  • Annie

    Someone should be held responsible for what amounts to criminal negligence in the disappearance of these animals. The whole incident sounds shady and should be fully investigated. It sounds as though the cats’ “removal” could have been a convenient way for the KC Human Society to rid themselves of an overpopulation problem and cut back on staff, freeing up funds to do some renovations. Isn’t anyone going to be held responsible for this?

  • Annie

    Has this incident been properly investigated? The whole thing sounds too shady to be believed. It not only makes the Knox County Humane Society appear shady and dishonest, but the Knox County sheriff’s department appears not to care, since the Humane Society was clearly not concerned with being fully investigated and charged with the crime. Since the buck stops with David Guffey, I think he should be arrested and charged with this crime that was somehow, mysteriously, committed under his watch. Mr. Guffey is ultimately responsible for the safety of animals under the care of his staff. Sounds like this was a convenient way for the Humane Society to get rid of their cat problem so they could cut back on hours and do some renovating. Knox County citizens should be shocked and angered over what amounts to animal cruelty, since the cats were probably put out into the cold and snow to fend for themselves.

  • Jay

    So someone who has the keys assisted the cats in leaving?

    • Paul

      Put a $25.00 bounty on dead stray cats and you won’t need a cat shelter, board, employees or anything else other than a place to bury them – probably cheaper in the long run.

      • Voice For Them

        Does the same go for inhumane idiots?

        • Joe

          Can you imagine the money to be made in Knox County if there was a bounty on inhumane idiots?

  • Jay

    So someone stole the Cats and no one knows who or why or where. Come on now

  • Jacob

    Wait, what is going on, here? This article raises more questions than it answers.

    The facts, as presented by the article:
    -All the cats in the cat shelter or gone, but nobody knows where they are.
    -There was no intention of laying off employees, but since there are now no cats in the shelter, the employees’ hours are not needed.
    -Now that the cats are gone, repairs will be made to the facility.

    Am I the only one scratching my head?

  • Scott Pullins

    OK, it took the new board 6 days or so to come up with a news release that says they don’t know what’s going on. Not a very good job so far.

    I would urge whoever is still in charge or now in charge to consider reacting a little quicker. There is more than one way to receive news nowadays.