HAMILTON, Ohio — After a viewer reached out to us claiming that a Hamilton animal shelter unnecessarily euthanized several kittens, we took their concerns directly to the Animal Friends Humane Society to see what happened.
A spokesperson left a voicemail confirming the shelter euthanized kittens after they were exposed to a contagious and potentially deadly disease. However, the shelter also said the decision was made "without proper consultation with our on-staff veterinarian or other qualified personnel."
Michele DeCresce with Southwest Ohio Feline Advocates said she couldn't believe what happened.
"I was absolutely shocked by that," DeCresce said.
Hear more about why the shelter decided to euthanize the kittens in the video below:
DeCresce said the mistake is unacceptable and that the cats should have been quarantined.
"Well, the proper procedure is to, of course, remove the kitten and the clean, clean, clean," DeCresce said. "The protocol is cleaning."
DeCresce said euthanasia should have been the last resort.
In a statement sent to WCPO 9 News, a spokesperson for the shelter's board of directors said the decision was made after a confirmed outbreak of panleukopenia in their cat population. Panleukopenia is a highly contagious disease in cats and can be fatal.
"As was reported, we made a very difficult decision to humanely euthanize kittens who had been exposed. This decision was made to prevent a potentially greater spread of this highly contagious and often fatal virus. We also placed the shelter under 14-day cat quarantine to ensure the health and safety of all animals in our care," the statement said in part.
DeCresce said she is upset at the shelter's "lack of transparency," noting they have not stated how many kittens were euthanized.
We called the shelter to ask that question, but a spokesperson said they wouldn't make any further comments outside of their statement.
The statement from the shelter's board of directors states they "have made some staffing changes and implemented very strict protocols to prevent further transmission of this virus, as well as prevent the spread of diseases in the future."
DeCresce said she'd like to know exactly what they're doing moving forward.
"I want to see what those changes are," DeCresce said.
DeCresce said the board needs to be more transparent and that they need to work to make sure this doesn't happen again.
"Use your community resources," DeCresce said. "I want to see that you're going to reach out for help from other rescues in the community when you get yourself in a bind, because this is what we're here for. We're all supposed to be doing the same thing."
You can read the shelter's statement in full below:
"Last week, we experienced a confirmed outbreak of panleukopenia in our cat population. As was reported, we made a very difficult decision to humanely euthanize kittens who had been exposed. This decision was made to prevent a potentially greater spread of this highly contagious and often fatal virus. We also placed the shelter under 14-day cat quarantine to ensure the health and safety of all animals in our care.
Following an internal review, we found that the decision to euthanize these animals was made without proper consultation with our on-staff veterinarian or other qualified personnel. This action did not meet our standards for individualized veterinary assessment or collaborative decision-making.
As a result, we have made some staffing changes and implemented very strict protocols to prevent further transmission of this virus, as well as prevent the spread of diseases in the future. We appreciate the community support we’ve received through this difficult time and look forward to continuing our work with the community to provide excellent care for the animals we serve."
