Foreclosures lead to rise in abandoned pets in Cleveland

CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland APL says it is in crisis mode and foreclosures in our city are contributing to the overwhelming number of abandoned pets.

The Animal Protective League says their investigators are seeing an increasing number of pets being left behind after homes are foreclosed or abandoned.

The animals are often left with little or no resources to survive and some are found dead inside. Many at the APL believe these pets are deliberatley being left behind in a time of crisis to get back at the company that will take over the property.

APL Director Sharon Harvey, "animals are living in horrific conditions, rooms and areas filled with feces and urine. Sometimes they have to go in with masks because the smell is so terrible".

APL Investigator Jed Mignano says, "This is part of the revenge process. They leave these animals to defecate in the house to destroy the furniture and to urinate on everything to make it difficult for the mortgage company to clean up."

The APL is overwhelmed. There are 375 cats and 100 dogs waiting for adoption. Two hundred is a comfortable number of cats for the APL facility.

To handle the overload, cats are being stored in the hallways, front lobby and side rooms.

If you would like adoption information you can click on the link below.