Hundreds of Cats Rescued in Animal Cruelty Case at Caboodle Ranch

Published March 5, 2012

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Hundreds of cats have been rescued in a large animal cruelty case at Florida's Caboodle Ranch.

According to an item on the Tallahassee abc27HD website last week, the Madison County Florida Sheriff's Office, the Association for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) reported that hundreds of cats have been confiscated from Caboodle Ranch, a no-kill feline sanctuary in Tallahassee that was thought to be a safe haven for cats. Subsequently, the ASPCA has shut down the 30-acre feline sanctuary.

The case against Caboodle Ranch was built when an undercover PETA employee posing for many months as a volunteer documented that the cats at the sanctuary were living under deplorable conditions. Heart-wrenching videos produced by PETA showed the cats living in filthy conditions, which resulted in many of them suffering from upper respiratory infections so severe they were unable to breathe. One cat's eye disease was so advanced and untreated that the kitty wound up going blind. In another act of animal cruelty, the PETA investigator said he witnessed Caboodle Ranch founder Craig Grant wiping the noses, eyes, and faces of some of the cats using Clorox wipes.

The conditions at Caboodle Ranch, documented in over a year's worth of complaints received by PETA, led to a large scale rescue effort. The ASPCA claimed that the situation has resulted in the largest number of cats ever having to be confiscated from one location during an animal cruelty investigation. Upon their rescue from the unhealthy conditions they lived under, the sickest of cats were rushed for immediate veterinary care.

As a result of Caboodle Ranch's spiral out of control, Grant, 63, was arrested on one felony count of animal cruelty, three counts of cruelty to animals and one count of scheme to defraud. His bail was set at $250,000.

Writing this story truly broke my heart, as it was only three years ago that, following a fascinating conversation with Grant, I wrote a glowing story about the sanctuary. I cannot help but keep wondering how a kitty haven turned into a kitty hell of such a magnitude so quickly.

What do you think about the animal cruelty at Caboodle Ranch? Share with a comment.

Jo Singer

Shortly after retiring as a social worker and psychotherapist, I discovered my "writer's voice"…

Filed Under: News & Blogs, Trouble Sniffer
Tags: Cats, abuse, Animal Cruelty

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Comments (17)

Anonymous (Unverified)

Added 03-21-2012 05:10pm

Some people suspect it was a political ploy by PETA and the ASPCA to discourage a "no kill" law. I don't know but I do know that it is better to help someone than to condemn them, especially when innocent creatures are at stake. I think Craig probably got in over his head when he began to focus on helping more and more sick cats. He had been able to nurse some back and he must have thought that would be the norm. It is also hard to live in the public eye. I think they had ore friends than enemies, but enemies have a way of kicking people when they are down.

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Donna

Added 03-15-2012 07:23am

Think that this is an all familar tragic story. People start out with good intentions to "rescue" animals.In the beginning things are good and managable. If you have 10,why not 20 and so on and on.The rescuer has taken on way more than can be handled. Tragicaly, the animals begin to suffer the results.They can no longer care for the "horde". Due to over crowding, under feeding and no vet care these poor cteatures suffer unbearably. So much for "NO KILL". The situation is just way to sad!!

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Anonymous (Unverified)

Added 05-30-2012 07:41am

animals deserve love

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jay

Added 03-15-2012 01:01am

since I do not know what actualy happened, I will not condem anyone, however two things stand out, a vendetta by a women who abanded her cat there and some time later wanted it back and didn't get it. secondly I do not trust peta at all and am suspect of any film produced buy them. I also am concerned about the futuer of the cats as the asapa is too quick to simply kill them, and peta is oposed to nokill shilters ans has tryed to clouse them down in the past. The only outcome that is accecptable to me has these cats nutered, adopted out ro returned to the wild and allowed to live out there lives. I fermley beleve that we do not have a right to kill these cats simply becuse there an inconvenicence to some one.

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Anonymous (Unverified)

Added 07-24-2012 07:00pm

Well wow you just stated you don't know exactly what's going on so stop yelling at PETA because I sure didn't see you trying to get the cats out of there. I don't see you warning people about this and that. They've saved more animals then you then you will in your whole life.

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Anonymous (Unverified)

Added 03-06-2012 06:38pm

I think it's sad that you think the term rescued is a good term for "seized and put down," because, more than likely, that's what's going to happen to those cats.

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Anonymous (Unverified)

Added 03-07-2012 06:30pm

Not necessarily!! It is reported that most of the cats can be treated for the illnesses they have. There was another rescue of cats in Florida last year and a small percentage had to be euthenized. They will not "put down" these cats unless the cat is too far gone to be saved. Craig Grant would rather see a cat suffer and die on its own then to make the difficult decision to let the cat die a peaceful death, not one of pain and suffering. Then he allowed the cat's dead body to just be on the ground and not be given a proper burial. He was just interested in taking in more and more cats and the money that was given for each cat brought in. Then he failed to give them the proper care they needed. People trusted him and he let them down. Most of the people didn't realize what was going on but many who took cats and then went to check on them a day or two later could not find them!! They are devastated that they trusted this man with their cats. There are many stories out there for you to read that show you what was really happening at Caboodle Ranch.