Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, August 18, 1993 TAG: 9308180158
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: ROBERT FREIS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Betty F. Flinchum of Radford relinquished responsibility Tuesday by officially surrendering the cats and agreeing to pay the tab they've run up at the Humane Society of Montgomery County's shelter since they were confiscated.
Flinchum, 43, of Radford, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Montgomery County District Court to a reduced charge of mistreating the animals. She originally was charged with animal cruelty, an offense that could have resulted in a year in jail.
Authorities said the cats were virtual prisoners inside her poorly ventilated, excrement-filled trailer near Riner where they were found without food or water.
Flinchum's fine, however, won't pay for ongoing care at the shelter, where the cats are crowding the facility and straining the organization's budget.
Officials say before the cats are disposed of - by adoption or euthanasia - they may cost the Humane Society as much as $4,000, or the equivalent of a month's budget for operations of its entire facility.
The society operates solely on funds generated from memberships, donations and adoption fees, without public financial assistance, said Lynda Oleksuk, a humane investigator.
"They've taken on a county responsibility without any county funds," said Penny Livesay, a veterinarian.
Chances aren't favorable that the cats will be adopted, said Cyndi Kelley, shelter manager. Due to mistreatment and neglect, they're unhealthy and suspicious of humans.
Kelley also said the animal shelter, which is located just off Virginia 8 near Christiansburg, already is swamped with healthy cats awaiting adoption.
Euthanasia is against the Humane Society's policy. Only the cats with irrevocable medical or behavior problems will be put to sleep, said Lynda Oleksuk, a county humane investigator.
Last month, law enforcement authorities and Humane Society volunteers, acting on a tip, searched Flinchum's unoccupied trailer near Riner. Inside they found 20 cats, 19 of which they captured and took to the shelter.
The last cat remains at large, despite the fact it is blind.
Kelley, who participated in the rescue, said the trailer was the most miserable living conditions in which she'd ever seen animals.
On a hot day, several windows of the trailer were opened only several inches. Inside, there was no food or fresh water and several cats were locked in rooms or closets. Litter boxes overflowed with excrement, and the stench was overpowering, authorities said.
Since the cats' removal, they have been quarantined while they are checked for communicable diseases. One of the cats gave birth to two kittens, said Kelley.
They've nearly doubled the shelter's regular occupancy. "My office has become the substitute sick room," she said.
Skip Schwab, assistant commonwealth's attorney, said Humane Society officials felt the lesser charge of mistreatment, which did not imply malice on Flinchum's part, was appropriate rather than the charge of animal cruelty.
Flinchum came to the trailer while the cats were being removed and contended that their treatment was responsible and adequate, authorities said.
Flinchum "had no idea of what proper care entailed," said Livesay.
Along with $146 in fines and court costs, Flinchum agreed to pay the Humane Society $1,169.81 in installments - despite the fact that she is unemployed and listed two 1970s automobiles worth a total of $400 as her only assets.
She also agreed not to mistreat animals for the next year.
Officially, the cats were turned over to Oleksuk. "All of a sudden I own 21 cats," she said after the brief hearing in Montgomery County District Court. "It's up to the Humane Society or me."
The privately run humane shelter is the county's only facility for accommodating abandoned cats.
The Humane Society commonly operates on a shoestring budget, and will be even more strapped for funds unless people assist by donations or by adopting the cats, Oleksuk said.
"They're less adoptable than our average cat," she said. "They might make good mousers or barn cats, but they're not going to be loving."
Memo: ***CORRECTION***