The Michigan 78 successes
update! July 25, 2006
Michigan - 78 Cornish Rex (and three dogs) were seized July 19, 2004 by the Marquette County Humane Society following a request for assistance from the Michigan State Police. These animals were held as evidence in a criminal neglect case. The owners, Grace Aalto-Rosenbaum, who was operating Cascading Rex cattery, and Louis Rosenbaum, were charged with 10 counts of animal cruelty. In a plea agreement, the owners pled no contest to one count of animal cruelty. As part of the judgment, they forfeited all ownership interest in the 78 cats and three Rat Terrior pups. They also agreed to pay $13,964.31 in veterinary care, staff time and transport for the seizure of the animals, and only 25% of sheltering costs incurred at that time.
The cats arrived at the shelter with many health problems that were diagnosed as panleukopenia, calicivirus, and ringworm, among others. Most will need to have regular dental cleanings throughout their lives. Many of the cats have had bladder infections, thought to be due to the filthy conditions in which they lived. One cat's claws on his front feet had grown so long they had grown into the bottoms of his foot pads. Internal parasites including roundworms and coccidia were found in many of the cats. All of these problems were highly preventable with normal care including nail trims, regular cleaning of their housing, and annual vaccinations and vet checks.
All but a few of the cats lived in wire cages, many for their entire lives, leading to some behavior issues including cats that do not tolerate being out of their cages. Many of the cats were without water or had water that they refused to drink because it was full of debris and bugs.
After careful screening the below cats now have homes!
Due to legalities the MCHS can't say exactly how many of the MI78 were adopted, but they have assured me that significantly more than the 28 seen below were adopted.
Ernie, one of three Rat Terrior puppies that was rescued at the same time also has a new home.
Abe - a red tabby male.
Adelle & Amos - Adelle, a black-&-white female
kitten, and Amos, a blue-&-white male kitten, with their new mom in
Cincinnati, Ohio.
Beatrice (below) is their mother.
Beatrice - a black-&-white female.
Amos & Adelle (above) are her kittens.
Belle - a tortoiseshell female. She's living in Ferndale,
Michigan with her two people and three other older rescued cats. "Her
nickname is "Pickle" because Julie at the Marquette County Humane
Society was putting her in her carrier and said 'in you go Pickle' and it
stuck. She is the most lovable cat and a wonderful addition to our family."Bertha - a female kitten. She has socialized very well with the family and has taken on the role of big sister to a second Cornish Rex. Bertha is now called "Moo."
Momma and Tommy (below) are her parents.
Betty - a black-&-white female,
now lives in Canada.
Camilla - a black-&-white female kitten. She is
now called Zaela.
Charlie & Jefferson -
now Uther (r) and Percival (l) share their new home with a French Bulldog
and three young girls.
Sadly, Uther died Sept. 25, 2005 from burns he received when accidentally shut in the dryer for ~10 minutes.
Camilla (above) and Charlotte (below) are Percy's littermates.
Charlotte - a black-&-white
female kitten now named Molly. She is doing wonderful and now lives in Kentucky
with her older Cornish Rex brother Avery and her two canine siblings Bella
and Phoebe. She also loves her people too. She's still a little skittish
but adjusting well.
Flora - a pointed female. Her new
name is Jasmine and she lives in lower Michigan.
Freddy - a tabby male, now lives in California with
his new mom. Freddy has been renamed Frankie and shares his new owner with
Rosie, another Rex.
Garret - a red-tabby male. Garret
has a neurological deficit probably due to early exposure to panleukopenia
either in the womb or in his first days of life. He is shaky and unsteady
on his feet.
Gordon & Theresa - two creams that
were adopted together enjoying their new Connecticut home. They were renamed
Mark (after Marquette) and Julie (after the MCHS shelter manager).
Kyle - a lavender male enjoys his
2nd anniversary cake with his Michigan family. "He made a dramatic
turn around from the boy who wouldn't let you touch him for more than a
second or two, to now a very needy, affectionate boy who can't get enough
touch. He is very silly and playful and likes to lay in the sunshine when
there aren't any people nearby needing his assistance."
Mia - black-&-white female kitten, now lives in
Alabama with her new family. Mia's new family includes a dog and two other
cats.
Momma & Tommy are her parents.
Momma & Tommy - Tommy, a black
male, and his love Momma, a black-&-white female in their new Canadian
home. They are now called George and Gracie.
Mia (above) is Tommy's daughter.
Queen Elizabeth - a tortoiseshell female. Lizzy now
lives in Kentucky with another Cornish - as well as three barn cats, four
horses, and a couple of dogs.
Ronald - a chocolate male with a white
locket on his chest. He's now called Milo and lives with his family in Illinois.
Victor - a black-&-white
male. He now lives with another Rex cat and a dog in Pennsylvania.
Wendy & Wilma - Wilma
(l), a calico female, and Wendy (r), a black-&-white female. They now
live in Michigan with their two people, two dogs, and a cat buddy.
Xeda - a calico female, shares her new home in Iowa
with two adults, three boys, a dog pal, and two hamsters. Xeda loves to
stand on the washer next to their cages and watch them. "When we first
adopted her, we couldn't get her to drink very much water. Now she drinks
out of her bowl, the dog bowl, our drinking glasses, the kitchen sink, and
even the toilet. She's definitely came along way since we brought her home."
Xena - a black female. Xena was one
of the oldest cats of the group. She was estimated to be somewhat over 10
years old. Xena found a great new home in lower Michigan.
Zack - a black male. He now lives in Minnesota with
his two humans and two canine companions.More (warning - graphic!) photos can be seen on their Cornish Rex page.
Additional donations for these cats would be much appreciated. For more information please contact the shelter at info@upaws.org, call (906) 475-6661, or write:
Cornish Rex Donations
Marquette County Humane Society
P.O. Box 842
Marquette, MI 49855
Donations can be made directly to the MCHS.
Click here to return (warning - graphic!) to the Michigan 78 Web page.
Click here to return to the Rexphiles Rexcue page.
Click here to return to the Rexphiles Success page.
Practice safe Rex:
spay, neuter and rescue.
All photos on this page are © 2004-2006 by the
MCHS and the cats' owners.
Images are © 2004 by Greta Huls and cannot be used without written
permission.
