A total of 42 sick cats were removed Friday, Jan. 2 from a feces-filled mobile home at W3198 Country Aire Drive outside Campbellsport. The 79-year-old owner, Bobbie Bruflat, was rescued and hospitalized after falling ill from diabetes complications.
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| "Officers pounded on the door and they heard a woman shouting for help," Sheriff's Capt. of Operations Rick Olig said. "They said the strong stench of cat urine was overwhelming. What they saw made them physically sick." |
A spokesperson at Columbia St. Mary's Hospital in Milwaukee said Bruflat is no longer a patient there, but her location is unknown.
Back to the 1980s
Arrest records for Bruflat involving animal cruelty charges date back to 1983, when 179 cats with fleas and skin conditions were taken from her residence on the lower east side of Milwaukee, according to articles that appeared in the Milwaukee Journal and Milwaukee Sentinel.
In September 1984 the charges were dropped and 80 cats were returned when the Bruflats agreed not to exceed that number. At the time, she and her husband, James Bruflat, were operating the Full Bowl Cat Shelter in an adjoining house.
In 1985 the Wisconsin Humane Society sued the couple for $20,000 — the cost of treating the sick cats in 1983. In turn, the couple filed for bankruptcy, according to the Milwaukee Journal.
In August 1986 another 200 cats were found living in the same house, many emaciated and suffering from numerous diseases.
In November 1987 about 90 cats were removed from the same residence, nine of them dead. The couple was charged with mistreatment of animals and evicted from the two duplexes.
According the Milwaukee Sentinel, "workers smashed windows and doors to get fresh air into the putrid buildings. Some tied cloths over their noses and mouths before entering because of the stench inside. There was about 10 years of animal waste inside, one worker said."
In December 1987 sheriff's officials removed 102 cats that "appeared ill" from a barn the couple was renting for use as a cat shelter in Ozaukee County on property near Fredonia. More than 22 died or were euthanized because of their condition, according to a Milwaukee Journal article dated Jan. 19, 1988. Many of the cats tested positive for feline leukemia.
The Bruflats were sentenced to three years probation for failing to maintain sanitary conditions at their cat shelter. They entered into a plea agreement that allowed them to keep one pet cat.
The Bruflats were jailed after they violated probation by keeping 21 cats in 1989 at a residence on West Silver Spring Road in Milwaukee. Psychological evaluations were ordered and no obvious problems were found, the article stated.
Rae Thomas of Fredonia said she used to volunteer at Full Bowl, and about five years ago Bruflat showed up at her doorstep with 22 cats in tow, asking for a place to stay.
"I tried to help her, let her stay for awhile, but she ruined things in my house and when I tried to get her out she wouldn't go," Thomas said. "She would threaten that if I turned her in they would come take all the cats and kill them."
Thomas said one day Bruflat fell and broke her hip and after she recovered and left the hospital, moved to the trailer in Ashford.
"It cost me $3,000 to have my house professionally cleaned," Thomas said.
Latest case
Fond du Lac Humane Society Shelter Manager Renee Webb said it is difficult to understand someone who has repeated issues of animal hoarding.
"Now, she is almost 80 years old and I hope she finally gets some help," Webb said.
Bruflat told The Reporter after she called from her hospital room that she will not give the Humane Society custody of her cats because she is afraid some might be euthanized or homes will not be found for them.
Some of Bruflat's neighbors have been blaming themselves, Webb said, saying they should have known.
"People who do this sort of thing do everything they can to make sure nobody knows," Webb said. "It's difficult to stop them because they have rights and they don't have to let people in their homes. This woman knows how to work the system."
A child molester is obviously 'ill' but they know what they do is wrong so they hide their actions. Hoarders are also 'ill' but they know what they're doing. They go to several stores to buy food in small amounts. They put black plastic in the windows and seal them shut. They do whatever they can to keep anyone from finding out their secret hoard because they know if someone saw the horrific living conditions they would take the animals from them. It is a selfish illness, but one in which they know they are doing wrong and don't care. She needs to be in prison until she dies.
Thomas says Bruflat has a sister living in South Dakota who tried over the years to get help for her sibling.
"It's tragic, really, to hear that the pain and suffering has happened all over again," Thomas said.
Two cats in the home were dead. A malamute dog was heavily matted. The dog was taken to Fond du Lac Humane Society, along with the cats that Webb described as dehydrated and emaciated.
HOW TO HELP
•Donations of towels, cat and dog food can be dropped off at the Fond du Lac Humane Society, 652 Triangle Road, on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays, from noon to 5 p.m., Tuesdays and Wednesdays noon to 7 p.m., and Sundays noon to 4 p.m.
•PetSmart, 443 N. Rolling Meadows Dr., is holding a canned food drive for the Fond du Lac Humane Society through March 1. Donations are taken at the register from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. The store accepts other donations for the shelter purchased at the store, including cat litter, toys, grooming supplies, pet beds, etc.
(FDL Reporter - Jan 26, 2015)
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