‘Not one minute longer’: One at a Time Pet Rescue saves 30 animals

A local animal rescue group has saved 30 cats and dogs from a “horrific” property in Loch. Warning: Graphic photographs.

A local animal shelter has performed a heart-wrenching rescue of 30 animals from horrific conditions after they were called to a deceased estate last week.

One at a Time Pet Rescue, in Lang Lang, is now desperately seeking donations to help provide urgent medical care for the cats and dogs rescued.

Founder Michelle Dryden attended the Loch property on Sunday last week, with vice president Kim Cranston.

“We were notified by people who were unhappy with the response from RSPCA who had classed it as a ‘not at risk’ incident and would ‘make a trip soon’,” she said.

“There was no way, morally, we could turn out backs and close the door and not take them all with us.”

Upon entering the property, the team saw two border collies, one young and one older, with three legs.

The floors were filled with rats, rubbish and faeces.

This was not an environment that any animal should be in, Ms Dryden said.

What they found in the next room made their “stomachs flip and hurt [their] hearts deeply”.

The room was full of cats in cages. Only some were still alive.

“One deceased girl still had her teeth surrounding the bars of her prison in a last-ditch effort to save herself. Some so decomposed they were just piles of fur,” Ms Dryden said.

“It was so hard looking at these cats and working out who to load into carriers first. We kept telling them no one will be left behind. All would leave with us,” she said.

There was a room with a cage style door, which had two little elderly white dogs with bloated bellies and not much fur inside.

Cages within the room contained remnants of more deceased cats.

“We found a bedroom with yet more caged cats. Then we heard growling of a teeny female dog. She was unsure, but we told her she was coming too. No one was going to be left behind,” Ms Dryden said.

As the team was loading all the animals into the car another dog appeared.

A total of 23 cats and seven dogs are now in care.

Every animal was seen by a vet within 24 hours but some have since died.

“It has been really horrific dealing with all of this,” Ms Dryden said.

All dogs and cats require desexing, dentals, flea and worm treatments.

Most of the cats have no muscle tone and some are so malnourished they are only now able to walk without the wobbles. There is a possibility of cruciate surgeries.

Ms Dryden said she was baffled at how no one had questioned the property earlier.

“It’s not suburban but people would have seen,” she said.

Ms Dryden said she was so thankful to other small rescues who had taken some animals in.

“We are at capacity as it,” she said.

“We are so grateful money had come forward because none of us are big organisations.”

One at a Time and the other rescues they have collaborated with do not receive lots of funding. Now they are asking the public to help them care for this influx of animals.

“We aren’t even halfway and already we have had to spend about $10,000,” Ms Dryden said.

To donate you can head to this link.