Cat savior could be headed to court

Greg Risling

An Orange County Superior Court judge has given a Costa Mesa woman until

the end of the month to find homes for her house full of felines or face

a criminal trial.

Patricia Hotz, who had more than 50 pets in her home, was cited in May

for breaking the city’s municipal code that prohibits residents from

having more than four animals. She faces up to one year in jail and a

$1,000 fine if convicted.

Hotz has attempted to find homes for her pets and has been somewhat

successful. But with overcrowded animal shelters and the fact most of her

cats are older, she hasn’t been able to reduce her pet household to the

city’s magic number.

“She has reduced the number of pets by 50% since she was cited,” said

Hotz’s attorney, Bill Urban. “Although it has been about six months, it

hasn’t been enough time to find homes for the cats. We need more time.”

Hotz has received many letters, but none of her supporters have offered

to adopt one of her cats. Faced with limited options, Hotz had no choice

but to have 10 of her cats euthanized over the past three months. Because

of the pending deadline, more of her cats may face the same fate if no

one steps forward.

“The only other option is to kill them,” Urban said. “If anyone knows of

a third option, let me know.”

Hotz has rescued stray cats from the streets over the past two decades

and received acclaim in the animal rights arena for her work. All of her

cats are spayed and neutered and she has taken good care of her pets by

feeding them healthy meals.

However, the city’s Animal Control Department determined that Hotz was

breaking the law and possibly causing a health hazard to neighbors.

Urban added that his client should be praised for taking in the stray

cats that could have produced thousands of kittens. Given the

circumstances, Hotz has made the difficult decision of choosing which of

her pets will no longer live.

“She has become very attached to these animals,” he said. “She is doing a

service to the community by helping these cats. The fact is there is a

terrible cat crisis here in Orange County and people aren’t addressing

the issue.”

Eileen Olson, kennel manager at the county’s Humane Society, agrees that

residents haven’t been responsible owners.

“People aren’t adopting pets for a lifetime,” she said. “Our shelter is

always overfilled with pets that are either abandoned or owners won’t

take care of them anymore.”

One of Hotz’s problems is that her cats are older and most people willing

to adopt pets want kittens. Olson, who is familiar with Hotz’s plight,

said she can’t make any guarantees about taking the cats off her hands,

but said she will try.

“We are willing to work with her as long as the cats are sociable,” she

said. “It’s hard to find homes for older cats, but we are willing to help

out.”