a Philadelphia victory: City Kitties takes a stand
The following is a story of pet owner grief, inner city slumlord heartlessness, bureaucratic red tape, the magnificent efforts of a grassroots cat rescue team, and rage over the stil looming future of animal and tenants rights.
On January 10, 2011, a 5-alarm blaze broke out at the Windermere Court Apartments in West Philadelphia, burning nearly the entire fourth floor and collapsing in the roof in many places, displacing 200 individuals and families onto the streets. At the time, many people had not yet returned home from their day's work and there were no fatalities. But, those who were inside escaped with what little they could grab and most had just the clothes on their backs. No one has since then been permitted to enter the premises to claim any of their possessions, even though much of the third floor and all of the second and first floors remained undamaged. Amongst those valued and irreplaceable possessions were the tenants' beloved pets. While fire rescuers initially retrieved a few animals from the active scene of the fire, in the month's time since then cats have been spotted in windows and former residents have been calling the owners and the City of Philadelphia trying to get a coherent answer as to why they can't even get help for the animals. The PSPCA is designated by the City to rescue animals in situations specifically like this one, yet their routine efforts had been hindered. And, hope seemed to have been lost, as the uncommunicative building owners set the date to begin demolition on the building -- with cats still inside -- this coming Monday, February 14.
In steps City Kitties, a West Philly based cat rescue organization, which rallied together to cut through the bullshit and team with tenants and the Walnut Hill Community Association to stage a public protest across the street from the condemned building two days before demolition was to begin. The PSPCA was also able to secure a warrant to enter the building that same night to set 12 live animal traps. And, they did manage to successfully catch one very frightened female cat named Sadie. The entire chronology of this story as it has unfolded can also be viewed at the City Kitties Facebook page.
What's truly troubling is that had the PSPCA been given the appropriate amount of time to do its job, it would've had weeks to rescue these lost and likely starving and freezing cold animals. Now, the warrant is expired, the traps must be removed from the building and they must try to trap the cats as they flee the building while it's torn down piece by piece. The landlords are being accused of impropriety, taking these calculated measures to cover up evidence that they were responsible for shoddy electrical repairs and disrepair that sparked the fire. Whatever their motives, their blockades have inhumanely jeopardized life itself.
On January 10, 2011, a 5-alarm blaze broke out at the Windermere Court Apartments in West Philadelphia, burning nearly the entire fourth floor and collapsing in the roof in many places, displacing 200 individuals and families onto the streets. At the time, many people had not yet returned home from their day's work and there were no fatalities. But, those who were inside escaped with what little they could grab and most had just the clothes on their backs. No one has since then been permitted to enter the premises to claim any of their possessions, even though much of the third floor and all of the second and first floors remained undamaged. Amongst those valued and irreplaceable possessions were the tenants' beloved pets. While fire rescuers initially retrieved a few animals from the active scene of the fire, in the month's time since then cats have been spotted in windows and former residents have been calling the owners and the City of Philadelphia trying to get a coherent answer as to why they can't even get help for the animals. The PSPCA is designated by the City to rescue animals in situations specifically like this one, yet their routine efforts had been hindered. And, hope seemed to have been lost, as the uncommunicative building owners set the date to begin demolition on the building -- with cats still inside -- this coming Monday, February 14.
In steps City Kitties, a West Philly based cat rescue organization, which rallied together to cut through the bullshit and team with tenants and the Walnut Hill Community Association to stage a public protest across the street from the condemned building two days before demolition was to begin. The PSPCA was also able to secure a warrant to enter the building that same night to set 12 live animal traps. And, they did manage to successfully catch one very frightened female cat named Sadie. The entire chronology of this story as it has unfolded can also be viewed at the City Kitties Facebook page.
What's truly troubling is that had the PSPCA been given the appropriate amount of time to do its job, it would've had weeks to rescue these lost and likely starving and freezing cold animals. Now, the warrant is expired, the traps must be removed from the building and they must try to trap the cats as they flee the building while it's torn down piece by piece. The landlords are being accused of impropriety, taking these calculated measures to cover up evidence that they were responsible for shoddy electrical repairs and disrepair that sparked the fire. Whatever their motives, their blockades have inhumanely jeopardized life itself.