The Kitty Dwindles : Valuable Persian Cats Seized by Humane Society Bring Only $5,000 in City Sale

Nine Persian cats, believed by Glendale city officials to be worth thousands of dollars each, sold for a total of only $5,000, not enough to pay for their care since they were seized last July from a filthy home.

The cats, believed to be worth as much as $5,000 each, were sold as a group March 14 to three members of the Cat Fanciers Assn., Humane Society Manager Donna Navarro said this week.

Although the cats are still considered to be worth much more than their sale price, Navarro said, the city opted to sell the cats for less because they were offered good homes.

“We wanted to do what was best for the cats,” Navarro said. “So, we’re happy.”

Officials seized the cats in July from Glendale cat breeder Alexander Paul Alexander and his wife, Georgia, said Assistant City Atty. Scott Howard.

A total of 26 cats were taken from the Alexanders’ Sleepy Hollow Drive home. Some died of parasitic infections and malnutrition, whereas others were returned to owners who boarded them with the Alexanders--leaving nine felines in the city’s care.

City officials discovered a number of the cats inside filthy cages behind a wall of the couple’s home, Howard said. The rest were held in dirty cages stacked inside the couple’s kitchen.

Under a court order, the city took ownership of the cats last month after the Alexanders failed to meet a deadline for reimbursing the city more than $8,200 in medical and care bills.

Howard said the city filed no criminal charges against the Alexanders in connection with the July seizure because the couple was already facing animal-cruelty charges from a similar incident several months before.

In that case, the court sentenced Alexander Alexander to 14 days in jail, fined the couple $475 and placed them on probation for three years, during which they are prohibited from possessing any animal.