Meezer Friday Update

An update to our Wednesday post.

The feline rescue effort in neighboring Teller County came to a successful end. Dreampower was able to rescue 40 cats from a home that was to be foreclosed late Thursday afternoon. To reach this end, there were a couple of curious, unusual turns along the way.

Late Monday afternoon, there was much optimism among the volunteers. Dreampower, working with the Teller County Regional Animal Shelter, had devised a system that would enable them to round-up a good portion of the cats. Also, the public was invited if they were interested in adopting a cat or two or another animal (dogs, buns, and, horses). The adoption contract and paperwork would be filled out on site.

But, sometime during the overnight on Monday, 40 of the most desirable (and well socialized) cats had disappeared when TCRAS and Dreampower members had left for the night. The volunteers hadn’t noticed the missing cats until Wednesday morning when another census was taken. A brief search of the property and a nearby stand of trees was made. A sick feeling descended on the volunteers. Someone had taken 40 cats, the most desirable ones. They knew it wasn’t another rescue group that had taken the cats since it was a joint effort. A couple of very bad thoughts quickly came to mind … another cat hoarder or an animal theft ring.

The Teller County Sheriff’s Department was called to the property, and they promptly began a burglary investigation. A new census was conducted and the estimate was revised upward to 80 cats. After the initial investigation was made, a multi-county bulletin was issued for the cats should someone suddenly appear seeking treatment for a number of cats including vaccination and spay/neuter services, or trying to sell cats.

Of the remaining cats on the property, many of those appeared to be feral or semi-feral. A few were able to be captured and adopted on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The remainder were trapped and divided among the various rescue groups working on this effort as not too overburden a single group or two.

Volunteers, along with TCRAS, will continue to survey the foreclosed property in case other cats are found.

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If the mysterious disappearance of the 40 cats weren’t enough, the identity of the homeowner in this case was equally shocking. The homeowner happens to be a woman who was arrested three weeks ago for fraud in the Denver area. Those who were defrauded were looking to obtain a multi-million mortgage, or refinance an exisitng, multi-million mortgage, with a minimum fee. The arrested woman claimed she fell for a variation of the Nigerian e-mail scam. When she realized her losses were significant, she devised a loan fraud scheme that would recoup her own losses and find mortgages for those who paid her.

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One of the cats taken from the Teller County home is shown on Dreampower’s web site. (Click here.) His name is Casanova.