On Friday, November 7, firefighters broke down the door of one of the apartments in Sarkandaugava at the request of the police and the Food and Veterinary Service (FVS). The woman living in this housing refused to cooperate, as she did not want to give up her cats, which she had rescued from the street and believed she was saving. Unfortunately, the animals were forced to live in horrifying conditions and without veterinary assistance, reports the Degpunktā program (TV3).
It's a pity that the smell cannot be transmitted through the screen, because it is truly disgusting in the hallway — and that's putting it mildly. One of the neighbors even tried to save themselves with an air freshener. But that didn't help, as it is nearly impossible to combat the smell of animal feces and urine.
Neighbors have long had to endure the aroma coming from the apartment on the first floor. The acrid stench has spread to other apartments, and those around had no choice but to report it to the police, file complaints, and hope that sooner or later the authorities would take action.
"She has cats that she feeds outside. And there are also cats in the apartment. She collects sick cats. She goes to three or four other places. Overall, she is not a bad person. Well, she is aggressive, but who wouldn't fight for their cat? I haven't been inside. But it seems to me that it is unsanitary. It smells really bad," said neighbor Ieva.
When Ieva was asked how many cats were in the apartment, she replied that she didn't know: "Earlier, about two years ago, they said there were thirteen. Then fewer. They were dying. Now, I think there are five or six. She mentioned it like that," the neighbor said.
Ievas mentioned aggression because when representatives of the Food and Veterinary Service arrived at the specified address, the cat owner refused to communicate. Anticipating such a development — as the woman had ignored all calls for cooperation in recent months — the service employees came with a court order to break down the doors. They were assisted by representatives of the State and Municipal Police, as well as firefighters.
"We confirmed that the cats were kept in inappropriate conditions, and the animals have various health problems. It seems that they did not receive timely veterinary assistance. The consequences of this are evident. The seizure of the animals is currently taking place," clarified Gundars Simanovich, deputy head of the Riga office of the Food and Veterinary Service.
The number of cats that the woman told the neighbors about turned out to be underestimated by four times. A total of 23 cats were found in the apartment. The animals were breeding uncontrollably, and according to initial examinations, at least two cats are pregnant. All of them lived together with the owner in a one-room apartment. Seeing the animal rescue representatives emerge from the premises, eagerly gasping for fresh air, it was clear that the conditions inside were horrifying. Eyewitnesses admit that they have never seen anything like it before.
"The smell has dissipated a bit now, but at first... My eyes and nose were stinging. If you had gone in there at the very beginning, you would have been in the same state as I was. I am resistant to such smells, but even I felt nauseous — which means it’s simply unbearable," noted Simanovich.
The cats did not appear to be emaciated; they had food. However, given the conditions of their keeping and the health status of the animals, they will be confiscated — they will not return to the owner. The cats will be taken to a shelter where they will receive medical assistance. Unfortunately, both the neighbors and the authorities understand that they will likely have to return to this address, as a new group of cats is already waiting for the woman outside, which will probably soon end up in the apartment as well.
