Saving Raggedy Ann, Part 1: The Rescue

Every cat has a story. For some it's happy, for others it's tragic. For many it's unknown.

Over the past several weeks Mudpie and I have been following the story of a cat named Raggedy Ann who was rescued from a horrific hoarding situation in Yuma, AZ. Our hearts were touched by her sweet face, her adorable name, and her incredible spirit, and we've been thrilled to see how she's thrived under the care of her amazing foster family.

When Mudpie reached out to Raggedy Ann with the request for an interview she readily agreed to take time from her rehabilitation to answer our questions, and she left us in awe once again when we discovered she holds no ill will in her heart towards the person who mistreated her. She only wants her original mom to get the help she needs and to shine a light on the mental health issue of animal hoarding. If only humans had such a forgiving heart.

Raggedy Ann's "tail" can't be told in just one day, so we've broken down the interview into two parts. Today's installment covers the horror Ann was rescued from. I hope everyone reading this is as inspired by Raggedy Ann's story as we are.

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Welcome, Raggedy Ann! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me today. Could you start by telling us a little about yourself and how you came to live in your wonderful foster home?

Thank you Mudpie for wanting to tell my story. My name is Raggedy Ann, they guess that I am around 14 years old, but I only have four teeth so it is hard to really tell how old I am. I was rescued from what is known as a hoarding situation. I wasn’t safe there and the police were called. Animal Control also came out and they took my friends and me to the local shelter. That’s where I met my first human friend, Karen from Azure Sky Imagery who does volunteer photography for the shelter. She took a liking to me and posted a picture of me asking for help. That’s when my foster mom saw me for the first time. She said her heart broke and she had to do something. Luckily, she fosters for Saving One Life and they also thought the same thing. So, Saving One Life and my foster mom decided to take me in.

What conditions were you forced to live in and how were you treated?

When the police and animal control came to inspect where I was living before, I was found living in really bad conditions. I had 40 other kitty friends that lived with me and as well as two dogs. We all shared a double wide trailer our mom was renting. The house was so filthy and full that our mom was living outside in her driveway. Some of my friends had passed away before being rescued. It was so sad and it could have easily been me. They were great kitties, that just didn’t have enough to eat and a chance to see a vet when they got sick.

How long did this go on and how were you finally rescued?

My rescuers aren’t quite sure and to be honest it was such a blur. I just remember being really hungry and my teeth hurting. It must have been a while though, because I lost most of my teeth and according to my foster mom I looked like a walking skeleton.

What makes people hoard animals?

My foster mom tells me that it wasn’t my mommy's fault. That animal hoarding is part of a disease and that without treatment, can just get worse. Many people who hoard animals, do in fact love their animals, they just become overwhelmed. They also are in denial that they are overwhelmed so they continue to take in animals and that what results in starvation and deaths. When my foster mom picked me up from the local shelter that took me in, I weighed only three pounds and fifteen ounces. My foster mom says that’s the same weight as a four month old kitten. I am missing most of my teeth, due to not having enough good healthy food to eat. I have four remaining ones that are rotting and keeping me sick. My vet says I should be healthy enough to get them removed next month and that it will make it so I don’t have an infection anymore.

What's going to happen to those who hurt you?

I’m not sure what is going to happen to my original mom. She has a court hearing coming up and my foster mom is going to attend and speak on my behalf. She wants to be able to remind the court that my mom needs help. She is suffering from a mental health disease and needs treatment, otherwise she will just continue to collect animals because she thinks she is helping them.

How did you get your adorable name?

I love my new name, my foster mom just calls me Ann for short. Since I’m not so Raggedy anymore. She picked that name because of the way I looked when she first picked me up.

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A new name. A new life. 

Please join us tomorrow for part 2 of Raggedy Ann's story: The Recovery.