The Bucks County SPCA recently rescued 67 cats and kittens from C.A.T.S Bridge to Rescue, a well-known cat rescue organization, after being found in terrible conditions, writes Jo Ciavaglia for the Bucks County Courier Times.  

The cats, many of which were unhealthy, were saved from the Bensalem organization, located on Old Lincoln Highway, on Oct. 1. 

The SPCA was contacted by Bensalem’s animal control office after a local reached out to complain about the conditions.  

Margaret Vautard, the rescue’s founder and director, has been cooperative and is currently facing charges for animal cruelty and neglect.  

The nonprofit opened in 2009 and was run by volunteers, taking in strays and abandoned cats and kittens.  

“Conditions in the warehouse where the animals were housed were awful,” said SPCA spokeswoman Cindy Kelly. 

The animals in the warehouse suffered from a lack of proper veterinary care and sanitation, resulting in illnesses. Tragically, two of the kittens died from feline distemper, a highly contagious virus. 

15 of the cats were taken in by the Women’s Animal Center, a nonprofit veterinary clinic.  

“Without proper licensing and inspection, tragic cases of large-scale suffering will continue to be uncovered only when animal cruelty complaints are finally made,” said Kelly in a press release.  

Read more about the Bucks County SPCA’s rescue and how to support the organization in the Bucks County Courier Times.  

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