Humane Society sends dozens of cats from Julian mass rescue to Texas shelter

Nearly two weeks after the San Diego Humane Society began recovering animals at the Villa Chardonnay property in Julian, officials on Wednesday sent 64 cats to a Texas shelter.

San Diego Humane Society animal care and medical staff at the organization’s San Diego and East County campuses started at 4 a.m., evaluating the cats before placing them in crates and taking them to Gillespie Field in El Cajon. A Wings of Rescue flight landed in Fort Worth, Texas, and the cats were taken successfully to the Humane Society of North Texas.

“We are very grateful for the help from HSNT during this challenging time, as San Diego Humane Society is close to setting a new record for number of animals in care. We currently have 2,515 animals in care,” according to a statement from the nonprofit.

Officials added that six additional horses were reunited with their previous owners Wednesday at Villa Chardonnay, bringing the total reunions to 14 horses, one cat and one dog.

Since the rescue effort began on May 1, more than 700 animals have been located on the property, including 446 cats, 175 horses, 30 dogs, 30 chickens, 12 goats and dozens more.

The Humane Farming Association, a nonprofit focused on protecting farm animals, said it conducted a yearlong investigation into Villa Chardonnay Horses with Wings for alleged “operational concerns and animal neglect,” which led to this month’s rescues.

But Heidi Redman, a spokeswoman for the sanctuary, defended the work of sanctuary founder Monika Kerber.

“There is no neglect, no abuse of any of these animals. They were well taken care of,” Redman told City News Service earlier this month. “There is definitely another side to this story and it should be told. They’re (Kerber and her partner, Mercedes Flores) devastated. These animals were like their children. They (investigators) even took their house dogs, their personal dogs.”