Dozens of cats found in Saskatoon apartment will be euthanized
More than 70 cats found by the Saskatoon Fire Department from a single apartment will have to be put down, Animal Protection Services of Saskatchewan (APSS) says.
“Many of these cats were suffering from serious communicable disease,” APSS executive director Don Ferguson said in a statement to CTV News.
“APSS ensures every animal receives veterinary assessment and while some animals can be rehomed, because of the conditions that the animals were kept in, there is often a need to relieve animals of distress through humane euthanasia," he said.
"Euthanasia for disease control purposes is an emotional issue for everyone concerned. Sadly, it is often necessary due to the presence of infectious diseases which cannot be treated or animals are in a debilitating condition.”
Ferguson told CTV News they had rescued 47 cats and 25 kittens.
“It was one of the worst days for our officers,” he said, calling it an emotional and challenging day.
He said these situations impacted the mental health of animal protection officers, but he also expressed concern for the pet owners.
“Animal problems are caused by humans that have their own challenges or issues,” Ferguson said. “They were doing the best they could with the resources and abilities they have.”
The Saskatoon Fire Department (SFD) has shut down the apartment suite after finding the cats in the unit.
SFD said community concern alerted them to the suite in the 2300 block of 17th Street West.
During the investigation on Wednesday, inspectors found a high accumulation of animal feces throughout the suite, according to acting fire chief Yvonne Raymer.
The occupants have been removed and relocated as the suite was deemed unfit to live in, SFD said. They said the unit needed to be cleaned, properly sanitized and repaired before it could be lived in again.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6970035.1721392588!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Widespread tech outage affects Canadian airports, hospitals and border crossings
A global technology outage grounded flights, disrupted hospitals and backed up border crossings in Canada on Friday, as issues persisted hours after problems with Microsoft services were said to be getting fixed.
LIVE UPDATES Here's the latest on Canadian impacts of the global IT outage
The latest developments on the Canadian impacts of the global technology outage that is causing massive disruptions to companies and services around the world.
BREAKING LCBO reaches tentative agreement to end strike, stores could reopen Tuesday
The LCBO has reached a tentative agreement with the union representing approximately 10,000 of its employees, paving the way for stores to reopen as early as Tuesday.
Recalled plant-based milk brands must rebuild trust by apologizing: marketers
Marketing experts say two brands that recently had to recall plant-based milk contaminated with Listeria can come back from the deadly outbreak, but they must move quickly to regain consumer trust.
Biden pushes party unity as he resists calls to step aside, says he'll return to campaign next week
U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday appealed for party unity to take on former U.S. president Donald Trump's "dark vision," working to hold off pressure from Democrats at the highest levels for him to bow out of the 2024 election to make way for a new nominee and avoid widespread losses.
New chief of the defence staff makes history, warns of 5-year timeline to counter Russia, China threats
Canada's newly appointed top soldier warns our country may not be ready to respond to 'conventional' and 'unconventional' threats from adversarial state actors, especially with the thawing of the North changing the landscape.
More than 250 wildfires in B.C. as hot and dry weather persists
More than 250 wildfires are burning in British Columbia as much of the province continues to bake under a heat wave that is expected to last into next week.
Canadian families will receive more in their next Canada Child Benefit payment. Here's why
Canadian families receiving Canada Child Benefit program payments can expect more cash in their cheques this Friday.
Spanish town to fine tourists for hogging beach spots
While tourists in Barcelona risk being squirted with water pistols, those in the town of Calpe on Spain’s Mediterranean coast face another threat: a hefty fine for reserving space on the beach for themselves.