A cat was returned to a rescue in Madison, Wisconsin, so lethargic that it was lying on its side and could barely move. When a veterinarian touched its belly, it screamed in pain. X-rays showed eight broken ribs, a broken tooth, and dangerous inflammation in its abdomen. Rescues ended up piecing together this foster's history through informal emails, and Wisconsin has no clear system to make sure the next group hears the warning in time.
Sign the petition urging the Wisconsin State Legislature to create a statewide system that lets rescues warn each other about people with documented animal welfare concerns.
A couple has now been charged with mistreating cats, and prosecutors allege that 14 cats were injured or died in the woman's care. Both have pleaded not guilty. The rescue ended her foster role, and another group says it had already done the same after a cat died in her care. But the warnings did not travel on their own. A rescue worker emailed nearby groups, and that is how the second report came to light.
Cats move from rescue to foster home to rescue again, but warnings about the people caring for them do not. Wisconsin's rescue licensing law focuses on dogs, which leaves no clear statewide system for cat rescues and their fosters.
A confidential system, with clear standards and a way to appeal, would let rescues report documented concerns, check fosters and adopters before placing animals, and get alerts from one another. It should also bar people convicted of animal cruelty from fostering.
Sign the petition and demand the Wisconsin State Legislature build a system that lets rescues protect animals together.
