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Cats From Dumping Incident Now Seeking Forever Homes

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Ten of the 11 cats that were brought to the Berkshire Humane Society after being dumped in Richmond and Lanesborough on the eve of a snowstorm are now ready to find their forever homes.

Their story shows the power of cooperative effort, as the cats were captured by Animal Dreams volunteers, Lanesborough Animal Control, and multiple Good Samaritans.

Two Pittsfield individuals, Kelly Hathaway and Arthur W. Raney, are both facing 15 counts of animal cruelty for the alleged dumping of the cats. They had non-guilty pleas entered on their behalf in Pittsfield District Court in March and have a pre-trial hearing scheduled for May 9.

The cats are a range of different breeds, some with long hair, some with short and varying in color.  There is even a male Siamese mix with striking eyes named George Michael.

"All of the females are from Lanesborough and all of the males are from Richmond," Marketing and Communications Manager Catherine Hibbard said.

The females were given names that begin with D: Demi, Dixie, Darla, and Delilah, and the males were named after musicians: Ben King, Chuck Berry, Frank Sinatra, George Michael, and Dan Fogelberg.

One male, Eric Clapton, needs to improve medically before he can be adopted.



The cats' ages range from about 5 1/5 months to 7 years old. Two of the felines have interested adopters.

On the weekend of Jan. 28, more than a dozen cats were found on back roads in Richmond and Lanesborough. Over the next few days, rescuers worked to capture the cats and bring them to the Berkshire Humane Society.

Unfortunately, two of the cats died and one remains missing.

After the incident, the Berkshire Humane Society offered a $1,000 award for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the persons involved.

Adoption applications can be found on the shelter's website.

 


Tags: Berkshire Humane Society,   cats,   

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Pittsfield Road Cut Moratorium

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city's annual city road cut moratorium will be in effect from Nov. 29, 2024 to March 15, 2025. 
 
The road cut moratorium is implemented annually, as a precautionary measure, to ensure roads are kept clear of construction work during snow events and to limit the cuts in roads that are filled with temporary patches while material is unavailable.
 
During this period, steel plates are not to be used to cover open excavations in roads. Also, the Department of Public Services and Utilities will not be issuing the following permits:
 
• General Permit
• Sewer Public Utility Connection Permit
• Stormwater Public Utility Connection Permit
• Water Public Utility Connection Permit
• Trench Permit
 
Limited exceptions will be made for emergency work that is determined to be an immediate threat to the health or safety of a property or its occupants.
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