Cats From Dumping Incident Now Seeking Forever Homes
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Ten of the 11 cats that were brought to the Berkshire Humane Society after being dumped in Richmond and Lanesborough on the eve of a snowstorm are now ready to find their forever homes.
Their story shows the power of cooperative effort, as the cats were captured by Animal Dreams volunteers, Lanesborough Animal Control, and multiple Good Samaritans.
Two Pittsfield individuals, Kelly Hathaway and Arthur W. Raney, are both facing 15 counts of animal cruelty for the alleged dumping of the cats. They had non-guilty pleas entered on their behalf in Pittsfield District Court in March and have a pre-trial hearing scheduled for May 9.
The cats are a range of different breeds, some with long hair, some with short and varying in color. There is even a male Siamese mix with striking eyes named George Michael.
"All of the females are from Lanesborough and all of the males are from Richmond," Marketing and Communications Manager Catherine Hibbard said.
The females were given names that begin with D: Demi, Dixie, Darla, and Delilah, and the males were named after musicians: Ben King, Chuck Berry, Frank Sinatra, George Michael, and Dan Fogelberg.
One male, Eric Clapton, needs to improve medically before he can be adopted.
The cats' ages range from about 5 1/5 months to 7 years old. Two of the felines have interested adopters.
On the weekend of Jan. 28, more than a dozen cats were found on back roads in Richmond and Lanesborough. Over the next few days, rescuers worked to capture the cats and bring them to the Berkshire Humane Society.
Unfortunately, two of the cats died and one remains missing.
After the incident, the Berkshire Humane Society offered a $1,000 award for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the persons involved.
Adoption applications can be found on the shelter's website.
Tags: Berkshire Humane Society, cats,
