SAN DIEGO -- San Diego County officials have acknowledged that many cats have been put to death by animal services even though they had treatable medical conditions.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that the county says the animals were euthanized over the past several years because of limited resources and shelter space.
County spokesman Michael Workman says part of the problem is that shelters have a limited ability to isolate cats with highly contagious conditions.
Until a policy change in July, the county could euthanize animals it considered unfriendly or unadoptable. One of those animals was a tiny black kitten named Ember.
Former animal services volunteer Audra Scully says solid black cats were often the first to be killed and thinks Ember and many others could have been saved if the county was more committed.
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Information from: The San Diego Union-Tribune, http://www.utsandiego.com
