Delores Metcalf

Sept 20, 2011 - Judges rules KC can begin euthanizing accused hoarder's cats

By DeAnn Smith, Digital Content Manager

By Betsy Webster, News Reporter

A Clay County judge ruled Tuesday that Kansas City Animal Control can put down the dozens of cats confiscated from an accused hoarder.

The woman, Delores Metcalf, has denied the allegations. Metcalf maintains the cats were well when they were in her home and did not become sick until they were confiscated by the city.

The judge made the ruling on Tuesday.

The judge ruled that Metcalf can delay the adoption or euthanization of her cats if she puts up at least a $100,000 bond to provide for the care of the cats and kittens.

Metcalf also can retrieve her ferret and four cats that a veterinarian decides are well enough to return home, the judge ruled.

"Release of these animals is conditioned upon their being sprayed or neutered, up to date on their shots and properly licensed," according to the court order. "Ms. Metcalf shall pay for these services beforehand at the customary posted rate as well as any boarding fees and expenses incurred by the shelter to date."

An official with a rescue group present in the courtroom Tuesday said just 82 of the 153 cats confiscated are still alive. The rest have died of natural causes.

City officials have said the cats were in fragile health. City officials are waiting for test results to determine if the remaining cats have a highly contagious disease that would make it virtually impossible for them to be adopted.

It is possible that all of the remaining cats will be put down, and the judge ruled that could occur.

Authorities found at least 50 dead kittens frozen in a freezer at her Northland home. The city went to Metcalf's home last month after receiving repeated complaints from neighbors..."  Link

Sept 14, 2011 - Judge delays decision on putting down 153 cats

By DeAnn Smith, Digital Content Manager

By Laura McCallister, Multimedia Producer

By Bonyen Lee, Multi-Media Journalis

A Clay County judge delayed on Wednesday a decision on Kansas City's request to be allowed to put down up to 153 cats.

The city of Kansas City, MO, filed the petition for ownership of the 153 cats that were found in Delores Metcalf's home two weeks ago. Part of the petition included a disposition of animals which Metcalf fears means euthanizing the sick felines.

Metcalf appeared in Clay County court Wednesday morning to, "fight for her animals."

"I am more than just a little concerned for my cats. They want to kill them. They've killed some more of them or they've died. They're probably dying because they're just so upset," said Metcalf.

A city attorney explained to a judge Wednesday that the cats, deemed too sick to adopt, have cost the city $40,000 since crews rescued 153 cats from Metcalf's home. Authorities found at least 50 dead kittens frozen in a freezer at her home. Metcalf still has part ownership of the animals, leaving the shelter with no option but to keep the cats alive.

"They're getting sick because they were kept in cages. They're all cluttered, kept together. I saw them on TV, terrified to death, they weren't eating or drinking water because they were terrified to death and that was causing them to get sick," explained Metcalf..."  More & video

Aug 30, 2011 - City struggling to handle influx of cats from Northland home

he municipal animal shelter is overflowing after 152 cats, an American bulldog and a ferret were delivered from a Northland home.

"Everybody that was involved was in shock," said Dennis Moriarty, manager of the kennel. "It's like, 'Oh, my word' because they just kept on coming."

Authorities said they cited Delores "Anne" Metcalf for having too many animals in a home, failure to control odor and for animal cruelty. Her home on North Bales Avenue has been condemned.

More than 50 dead cats were found stuffed inside her freezer and refrigerator but officials said they are still removing dead cats from the home.

Metcalf could not be reached for comment Tuesday. On Monday, Metcalf watched as cat after cat was pulled from her home. She was later led away in handcuffs by police.

Three separate enclosures inside the shelter are housing 40 cats each. A fourth enclosure is needed for the kittens. Many of the kittens will need to be bottle fed.

Most of the cats have cuts, abrasions, fleas and hair loss. All of the cats were covered in feces and urine, officials said. The medical assessments and tests will take several days to complete.

"It's hard to see things like this happen," Moriarty said. "Then try to understand the circumstances of the individual that it happened to."

The cats are skittish, but Moriarty is hopeful they can be adjusted with time to human interaction.

Unclear on Tuesday was why the city didn't step in sooner. Kansas City police say they responded to five complaints about the condition of the home between July and last week..."  More

Sept 3, 2011 - Animal hoarding: A new case for mental health researchers

By Donald Bradley

 In 2002, animal control officers went to a mobile home park on a report of hoarding.

They found 94 cats, four dogs, a rabbit and a ferret in a woman's trailer. An officer, learning one of the dogs was diabetic, opened the refrigerator to check for insulin.

It was filled with dead cats, some in Tupperware containers. 

This week, officers carried more than 100 cats out of a woman's house and found 50 or so dead and frozen in a deep freeze, tagged like hamburger.

Same woman.

Delores Metcalf, 56, seems to be a serial cat hoarder.

"She needed help back then, and she didn't get it, and now she's done it again," a woman familiar with the Liberty case said this week.

Perhaps that's because animal hoarding has only recently been looked upon as a mental disorder. It is relatively new to psychological research, and experts struggle to nail it down.

Some researchers link hoarding to childhood trauma. Others say it's an addiction, such as to drugs. Attachment disorder? Obsessive-compulsive disorder? Safety and security issues? Loneliness?

"We're trying to play catch-up," said Ken Weiss, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania.The problem is that hoarders typically don't seek treatment. They think nothing is wrong with themselves. The first contact with outsiders is usually with law enforcement.

"So the process has been a legal one, not one of mental health," Weiss said.

But things are changing. They have to, because researchers now say 2 to 5 percent of the population exhibits some signs of hoarding one thing or another.

Gary Patronek of the Animal Rescue League of Boston said the 2013 edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders — essentially the bible of the American Psychiatric Association — is expected for the first time to include hoarding as a disorder...."  More