Thursday, January 26, 2012

Alaska man seeks to reclaim his 22 cats Read more: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

by Casey Grove


ANCHORAGE, Alaska - It was still summer when Jim Hershberger packed up his 22 cats at his homestead in the Mentasta Mountains, hauled them down a mountain on a sled and loaded them into a raft. After a short river trip, he drove 250 miles to Anchorage, where he moved into a friend's shipping container.

Hershberger's plan: get supplies, visit the veterans' clinic here and find a woman. He is no ordinary man, his cats are not ordinary cats, and so far, he hasn't found that extraordinary woman who wants the whole package.

Instead, the city broke his heart.

Hershberger is fighting for his felines - talking to reporters, seeking legal help, painting "Free my cats now" on his vehicle - after they were seized Jan. 14 in what the city says is an ongoing animal cruelty investigation. A police officer found the cats in crates inside Hershberger's gray Toyota hatchback, parked outside the shipping container where Hershberger and his dog Sheba were staying. It ranged between 5 degrees below zero and 5 above in the vehicle, police said..."  More

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