Owner of Cat Rescue Charged With Over 100 Counts of Animal Cruelty

The owner of a cat rescue in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, is facing more than 100 charges for animal neglect — including two felony charges of aggravated cruelty to animals resulting in serious injury or death, and 116 misdemeanors related to negligence. Margaret Vautard, the director and founder of C.A.T.S. Bridge to Rescue (CBTR), is accused of failing to secure veterinary care for the 72 cats in her shelter. Four of those cats died. 

Vautard created CBTR, a no-kill nonprofit, in 2009. The rescue took in unwanted, stray, and abandoned cats and kittens. According to the organization’s website, it was a volunteer-run organization committed to sterilizing and adopting cats — but the shelter itself was unlicensed and operating out of a warehouse. A local in Bensalem contacted the town’s animal control officer with concerns about the rescue’s conditions. 

Animal control reached out to the Bucks County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). The SPCA conducted a raid on October 1 and removed dozens of cats and kittens from the rescue. According to the Bucks County Courier Times, SPCA Chief Human Officer Nicole Thompson said that the odor of ammonia and cat urine was so strong it burned her eyes and throat. 

“Conditions in the warehouse where the animals were housed were awful,” the SPCA wrote on an Instagram post. “Some cats were confined in filthy cages, others were free roaming. The large room was filled with trash and animal waste and was smelled strongly of urine. Flies and fleas were visible throughout the facility. Sadly, many of the cats are in very poor condition.”

Two lethargic, thin kittens were found in a cage with wet spots on their back. Vautard said someone had surrendered them a few days prior, but they had not seen a veterinarian; instead, she had  been treating them with medicine and subcutaneous fluids. After they were surrendered, a veterinarian diagnosed the cats with feline distemper, a highly contagious and deadly virus. They passed away the next day. 

“I’m the one that took the two babies in…” Vautard told Fox 29. “I didn’t realize what they had.”

The SPCA reported that other cats suffered from upper respiratory infections, severe diarrhea, fleas, and ear mites. At least one of the cats tested positive for feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), a contagious autoimmune disease. According to the Bucks County Courier Times, Vautard allegedly claimed that the shelter didn’t have much money to provide veterinary care, but they were doing the best they could with the little money they had. 

CBTR volunteers and loyal fans have rallied behind Vautard and the shelter. They insist that Vautard’s heart was in the right place and emphasize that she never turned a cat away. 

“Margaret Vautard is a caring, compassionate and amazing woman who loved every cat/ kitten that came through those doors,” wrote one person on the official CBTR Facebook page. 

“She took in cats when every other rescue said no or would have euthanized them,” wrote another on a Bucks County Courier Times Facebook post.

But the Bucks County SPCA said that this case highlighted the “glaring need for regulation of cat rescues in Pennsylvania.”

“This [regulation] is already in place for dog rescues, animal shelters housing dogs, dog breeders, and kennels,” they wrote on Instagram. “Without proper licensing and inspection, tragic cases of largescale suffering will continue to be uncovered only when animal cruelty complaints are finally made.”

The rescued cats were transported to SPCA’s Lahaska shelter and given medical examinations. As they heal, they are being put up for adoption. You can check out the Bucks County SPCA Instagram for updates on the various cats rescued from CBTR; adoptable cats are also posted on the Bucks County SPCA website. If you would like to support the SPCA’s life-saving work as they continue to provide veterinary care to the remaining rescues, you can donate at the link below.