To Be Fair To Authorities..........

.......probably no action was taken because they believed the building was part of Toronto Housing Authority.

Derelict cat house brings Fixer to his knees TheStar.com - Fixer - Derelict cat house brings Fixer to his knees

June 05, 2008

Jack Lakey
Staff Reporter

A North York family has for too long endured the sickening stench of dozens of cats left to fend for themselves after their owner passed away.

Of all the problems we've encountered as The Fixer, we have never experienced anything to compare with the stomach-turning odour coming from a duplex unit yesterday on Whitebread Cres., near Jane St. and Sheppard Ave. W.

Ana Chavez, who's lived in the adjoining duplex unit for about four years, emailed to say the woman who occupied the home on the other side of the common wall died before they moved in, leaving the property to her adult daughter, along with about 30 cats that lived with her.

The daughter refused to sell the property or clean up the mess inside, said Chavez, adding that at first she'd arrive in a taxi to feed the felines, but hasn't been seen in at least two years.

Chavez said she called police two years ago, but nothing was done.

We went there yesterday and found waist-deep grass in the backyard, along with a broken basement window through which the cats go in and out. Inside, we could see deep piles of bedding and other trash strewn across the basement floor.

We opened the screen door at the main entrance and were almost knocked to our knees by an overpowering smell of cat urine and feces, but didn't see any cats.

Chavez says the stench has permeated their home and was even worse during winter, when the furnace would blast the fumes throughout their house.

Since then, their unit has been infested with cockroaches, which they attribute to the mess on the other side.

STATUS: We explained the situation to Susan Sperling, who deals with media for Toronto Public Health. Sperling said animal control staff will be sent to the duplex right away to remove the cats, along with a special health hazard team to assess the need for a thorough cleanup.

What's broken in your neighbourhood? Wherever you are in Greater Toronto, we want to know. To email us, go to www.thestar.com/thefixer and click on the submit a problem link. Or call us at 416-869-4823.