Updates

August 30, 2009
Animals seized in the March 13, 2008, humane law enforcement raid on Tiger Ranch in Frazer, PA, have been officially released to the Pennsylvania SPCA, clearing the way for their adoption. "We are committed to finding new homes for each and every animal affected by this case," said Sue Cosby, Chief Executive Officer of the Pennsylvania SPCA.

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July 21, 2009
On July 21, 2009, the Valley News Dispatch ran an article titled "Tiger Ranch rescued cats will soon be made available for adoption"). The article mistakenly reported, "An SPCA spokesperson confirmed that cat owners who can prove they own a particular cat from Tiger Ranch may make their claims by Wednesday to get the cats. Proof of ownership would include a photo, veterinary bill or vaccination records." Please note that such a deadline has not yet been established. Once the PSPCA has this information, we will post it on our website immediately. Please continue to check back for more information.

July 17, 2009
The Pennsylvania SPCA is continuing to provide high quality, humane care to the cats seized from the property. As of now, the cats have not been signed over to us for custody, so we currently do not have legal authority to reunite them with their previous owners or adopt them into new homes. Once we have been granted that authority, the Pennsylvania SPCA intends to find safe and loving homes for each and every cat that was signed over to us; we will do everything in our power to make this happen. As soon as details are available, we will share information on the adoption and rescue process on our website.

January 7, 2009
On October 23, 2008, the Allegheny District Attorney's Office filed new charges against Lin Marie, including seven felony counts of tampering with public records (rabies vaccination certificates for cats) and 10 misdemeanor counts for allegedly signing a veterinarian's signature on the documents and allegedly operating an unlicensed veterinary practice. At the preliminary hearing on January 7, 2009, Lin Marie was charged with seven felony charges for tampering with public records, seven misdemeanor forgery charges and three charges of practicing as an unlicensed vet.

October 30, 2008
If it weren't for a handful of volunteers, Tiger Ranch might still be in operation today...
Pittsburgh City Paper

October 25, 2008
Tiger Ranch lawyer calls new charges 'overkill'
Valley News Dispatch

Adoptable Cats

Adopted Cats - Success Stories

Story

On March 13, 2008, the PSPCA removed 406 cats from the Tiger Ranch Cat Sanctuary in Tarentum, Pa., a 28-acre property owned and operated by Lin Marie (Linda Bruno). Upon entering the property with a search warrant obtained from the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office and along with animal welfare experts from the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®), PSPCA officials found hundreds of cats living in squalor in multiple buildings, suffering from numerous serious illnesses and disease, including ESCHERICHIA COLI, STAPHYLOCOCCUS, PROTEUS MIRABILUS, FELINE CALICIVIRUS, HERPES VIRUS, BORDETELLA, MYCOPLASMA FELIS and CHLAMYDOPHILAFELIS. The cats' symptoms included upper respiratory conditions, severe muscle wasting, abscesses, dehydration, malnutrition, purulent oral ulcers, eyes completely occluded with dried mucus and other conditions that required immediate medical intervention. Some cats had oral ulcers that prevented them from eating and a discharge from the eyes that was left unchecked and resulted in loss of vision and then the eyes themselves. Hundreds more cats were found dead in deep freezers and burial pits located on the Tiger Ranch property. Cats were fighting over one food dish and water bowl, dead cats were found in litter boxes and extremely ill and dying cats were living with seemingly healthier cats.

Many cats had died before PSPCA and ASPCA officials reached the scene; others were so sick that they had to be humanely euthanized immediately. Four-hundred-and-six cats were transported to the Clarion County Humane Society, a PSPCA branch that was re-opened specifically to care for the cats removed from Tiger Ranch. After receiving extensive medical treatment from PSPCA veterinarians over the last seven months, 250 Tiger Ranch cats have survived and are still in protective custody at the Clarion facility. Additionally, the PSPCA is caring for 11 kittens born at the Clarion facility in three litters from Tiger Ranch cats - cats that were supposed to have been spayed and neutered according to Lin Marie.

The cost the PSPCA has incurred as a result of the Tiger Ranch raid is $226,303 and growing - a significant expense for the private, nonprofit organization. This figure includes the cost of food, litter and other supplies; operating expenses at the Clarion County facility (re-opening the shelter and hiring staff to care for the cats); and ongoing medical treatment for the cats. While the cats are no longer suffering from outbreaks of spontaneous abscesses, many still need surgery to remove growths that, as a result of their disease, have developed on their voice boxes and made it difficult to breathe. Medical and care costs will continue to mount while the PSPCA waits for Lin Marie's trial to begin on July 13, 2009 - almost a year-and-a-half after the initial raid.

The PSPCA received $99,675 in donations following the Tiger Ranch raid, a sum that covers just a small portion of the investigation's cost to date. "The Tiger Ranch raid has impacted us financially, however, we know that we needed to go to Tarentum to save those cats - cats that had been taken to the Sanctuary by owners who hoped they would be adopted or able to live peacefully," said PSPCA CEO Howard Nelson. "Other humane societies and animal welfare organizations were made aware of the conditions at Tiger Ranch and refused to intervene. We had to step in because others would not. The PSPCA could not, as a humane organization, ignore the plight of those animals."

The before and after images of the cats rescued from Tiger Ranch speak volumes as to the dedication of the PSPCA. Cats that would have succumbed to serious illness and disease are continuing to make remarkable recoveries.

Photos

The graphic nature of the content of these photos may be disturbing for some viewers. Please proceed with caution.