Thirty-two cats were found living in a small camper parked across from Neptune’s Net at Ventura County Line on Sept. 26.
Sherman Baylin, one of the founding members of Malibu Pet Companions, a nonprofit group that rescues homeless and abandoned animals, received a call late in the evening on Sept. 25 about 20 cats left in a camper up by County Line.
The woman who lived in the camper had been in a car accident the previous day, Sunday, and was still hospitalized. Apparently, several people in the area knew about the animals crowded into her camper.
When Baylin, Stephen Brandwein, David Collier and several other volunteers arrived, they realized the number of animals was much higher than 20.
Volunteers, who came to rescue the cats, found the floor caked with more than three inches of fecal matter. The animals appeared to be malnourished, had no water and many had visible sores and lesions.
With the help of the Ventura County Park Rangers, they removed trash from the camper to make their way inside. Then began the difficult task of removing the cats.
One dead kitten was found under the front seat of the camper. After successfully rescuing most of the cats, a problem was encountered; six cats were huddled beneath a small sink, under drain piping, inaccessible to human hands.
Enter the Ventura County Fire Department. Station No. 56 sent a fire truck and four firefighters, who cut a hole in the outside of the camper so the sink area could be reached from the outside.
After more than three hours, all the cats were rescued and were sent to the Malibu Animal Hospital and Pacific Coast Animal Hospital. They are being spayed, neutered, and treated for ear mites and whatever other infections they might have. They are also being tested for diseases.
It is estimated it will cost two to three thousand dollars to treat all the cats, and Malibu Pet Companions is hoping for donations, as well as homes for the cats.
There are no plans at the moment to charge the woman who owns the camper. Her physical and mental states may rule out legal action. Her family has asked that her name be withheld.
People interested in adopting one or more of these cats can contact Malibu Animal Hospital at 310.456.6441 or Pacific Coast Animal Hospital at 310 456.1783. Tax-deductible donations to Malibu Pet Companions can be sent to P.O. Box 4318, Malibu, Calif. 90264.