‘It’s awful;’ Volunteers describe conditions inside animal sanctuary where dozens of cats seized

Volunteers are speaking out about a Miami County animal sanctuary currently under investigation.

As reported on News Center 7 at 5:30 , on Wednesday, volunteers told News Center 7 that in addition to the 100 cats living in unsafe conditions, there were also dogs in the facility.

Carin Dillard has volunteered at Our Farm Sanctuary in Tipp City for 10 months and said she saw the conditions firsthand. She helps handle the dogs and farm animals at the sanctuary.

>> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: ‘We had no choice;’ Dozens of cats seized from local animal sanctuary

“I can’t breathe in there. How? What is this doing to their lungs? Yeah. It’s awful,” Dillard said.

A search warrant received by News Center 7 says one volunteer claimed to smell ammonia, which is toxic to both humans and animals.

Dillard added there is a huge mice problem.

“They’re literally going into the food bowls, eating their food, defecating and urinating in the food bowls,” Dillard said.

>> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: ‘Received no complaints;’ Animal sanctuary speaks out after animal control officers search farm

News Center 7 previously reported that 43 cats were taken from the sanctuary and are being cared for by the Miami County Animal Shelter.

“It’s impossible to clean because there’s so many cats. The litter boxes are all overflowing,” said Sarah Spradlin, a former volunteer of the sanctuary.

Spradlin was a medical volunteer at Our Farm Sanctuary for two years. She told News Center 7 that not only were the conditions bad, but she was thrown into the role with zero experience.

“Honestly, when I got transferred, they just said, ‘Here you go,’ and I went for work. I didn’t get trained by anybody. Like, no actual veterinarian or vet tech,” she said.

Spradlin said she only saw a vet tech five times in her two years volunteering.

News Center 7 reached out to Our Farm Sanctuary and received the following statement:

We are aware and understand that there are many questions about Our Farm Sanctuary, how we care for animals, how we house and shelter them, and our adoption process.

At this time, we are doing our best to comply with the ongoing investigation conducted by Miami County Animal Control.

As we move forward, we hope to share more information about our progress and results. At this time, however, we are focused completely on the animals under our care, their health and welfare, and, with the help of Animal Control, we are also focused on ensuring compliance.

Sophia Kartsonis, Director, Our Farm Sanctuary

We will continue following this story.