URGENT PLEASE READ IMMEDIATELY

DELIVERY IN HAND OR VIA USPS 1^st CLASS June 7^th, 2004

[Paul J. Brennan, Chairman]

[531 Bedford Rd]

[Carlisle, MA 01741]

RE: Immediate Safe Return of My Beloved Persians – DEMAND FOR MY PROPERTY

Heidi K. Erickson’s Persians Seized by Animal Rescue League

Seized from 78 Prentiss Street Watertown, MA on 5/7/03

Dear ARL Board Member:

This letter is being hand delivered to you as it is of such great importance to bring to your immediate attention of the inhumane treatment and deceitful cover-up by Animal Rescue League staff who are refusing to return and adequately treat my Persians that it fraudulently took and of its threats to euthanize my beloved Persians against all decency and done instead of minor treatment. I ask for your sense of compassion, understanding and assistance with the immediate return of my beloved Persians seized from my home under the guise of a fraudulently procured search warrant and held by the Animal Rescue League (ARL) at the Pembroke, MA facility an inadequate facility under the circumstances. Nearly 1/3 of my beloved Persians, most of them valuable purebred, pedigreed and show quality adults and many kittens (two were being prepared to show at Madison Square Garden in the fall) have died at the negligent hands of your Animal Rescue League by separating these gentle, beautiful kittens from their mothers and who “are failing to provide adequate medical care and attention” quote from Catherine Lund, DVM[1] (President of the Rhode Island Veterinary Medical Association) specialist in Feline Medicine who examined each of my Persians on March 16^th, 2004, after 11 months of repeated requests for my own expert to evaluate my Persians held by the Animal League who continuously denied me and/or my experts access to examine my beloved Persians by claiming their was a quarantine upon my Persians preventing all examinations. This was totally inaccurate as your negligent staff at the ARL and due to its lack of adequate medical treatment and fraudulent seizure of my beloved Persians stressed them to the brink of sickness, the ARL exposed my Persians to illnesses in the shelter and caused so much stress in their little bodies their immune systems weakened – your ARL staff made my Persians sick and then fraudulently claims that the quarantine prevents other veterinarians access is a lie. In regards to today, I am demanding my Persians be immediately return, requesting you arrange your ARL vets to immediately release my beloved Persians.

Dr. Lund contends that if the ARL had provided adequate medical care, having retained these Persians for now 12 months they should not have any infectious disease and the quarantine could have been lifted months ago and/or should have never been placed in the first place. In addition she believes that these gentle Persians should not be euthanized because of the lack of ARL’s medical attention and/or causative agent for the quarantine – “it’s not warranted” and would be animal cruelty.

I am a well educated (having attended Harvard University, Northwestern and 1 year of medical school at Pritzer School of Medicine at the University of Chicago) third generation Persian breeder, my mother being a geneticist who introduced me to this wonderful hobby when I was very young (3 or more years old) and my grandfather a well respected physician and CFA member, cat show judge and my mentor. My beloved Persians have always received adequate medical attention, high-quality food and come from such great pedigrees being first generation from several CFA Cat-of-the-Year, National Winners, Regional Winners, Grand-Champion, Champions and trained to assist me with volunteer work in the area nursing homes. I have been employed by a number of area Veterinarians including a feline practitioner and the Angel Memorial Hospital hired to work in its intensive care unit. I have worked under Nobel Prize winner Charles Higgins and geneticist Susan Lindquist who now is the Executive Director of the White Head Institute in Cambridge, MA. I have very good understanding of disease transmission, microbiology and zoology and had plans to attend to Tufts Veterinary School. I believe that your employees are negligent and all I ask is my beloved Persians safe and immediate return home.

I ask that you stop condoning the ARL’s conduct and prevent them from euthanizing my beloved Persians by claiming that they have some right to allow my Persians to be euthanized because of a quarantine that they (you) caused! The quarantine caused by your condoning fraudulent conduct, and denial of adequate medical care.

First, the quarantine was not quarantining other veterinarians from examining – except the ARL demanded it did. This is fraud, and a way to exercise and manipulate my Persians environment with out succumbing to checks and outside supervision.

Second the day my Persians were seized each of them were photographed and numbered p1-p52 (please pay special attention to p40 who had newborn kittens p41-p44) with no signs of the causative agent for the quarantine. The quarantine was issued 1 month after their seizure and after exposure to the diseases in the shelter that my Persians had no acquired immunity against. Each were transported in un-airconditioned vans sitting in carriers for well over 5 hours. Medical records indicate no signs of diarrhea then 2 weeks later every one of My Persians were being treated for it. My Persians became ill at the hands of your negligent ARL, and then it tried to cover it up from outside experts by seeking quarantine on my Persians that it caused to get sick.

The day of my Persians seizures Officer Borgal of the League insisting that “all the Persians must be taken” despite the warrant which read that only those animals who were being deprived sustenance could be seized – there as over 100 lbs of high quality Iams cat food present and a veterinarian across the street willing to come over and evaluate each cat. Everyone who works with animals knows and or should know that you don’t make a decision of that complexity to remove, transport and change the entire environment, and care routine of a closed colony especially one of that number whose caretaker is skilled and well educated, especially so when there are newborns, pregnant queens in their third trimester and kittens under 5 weeks who dependent on mothers milk for their immunity and sustenance. Officer Borgal knew or should have been trained to know this and this fact is now a liability. Officer Borgal has demonstrated to me on more then one occasion his lack of training, commonsense and inability to think of the animals best interest which had prompted me to write complaints to Arthur Slade about him in the past, and attach an affidavit from William Johansen, DVM[2], former Chair of the Massachusetts Veterinary Association and former Animal Inspector for the Cities of Cambridge, Somerville, and surrounding areas possibly including Belmont, Watertown and Arlington. This attached affidavit was hand delivered to Arthur Slade, President of the ARL in 2002, nearly 2 years ago. In addition the day Officer Borgal insisted on taking my Persians from my Watertown apartment which was specially designed with well over 2000 square feet with expensive environmental controls, air-conditioners, hepta filters separate exhaust systems, his taking (which was beyond the scope of the fraudulently procured search warrant) he denied access to and threatened the visit of a Massachusetts licensed Veterinarian who practiced across the street who offered to make an on site evaluation of the condition of each Persian. As a direct and consequential result of taking my colony of purebred Persians most of all the babies died, the 5-7 pregnant queens aborted and several adults died from as their autopsy reports indicate stresses from shelter living. It was disclosed that the determination to seize the Persians was as a result of the insistence of Officer Borgal who knew and or should have known that by dislocating, disturbing a closed active breeding colony of purebred Persians would be life threatening and that all of those Persians were under the care and supervision of Dr. Johansen who explained in his affidavit that a seizure and/or dislocating of my Persians colony would more likely then not be life threatening to the Persians. Officer Borgal had Dr. Johansen’s Affidavit, it had been read to him out load and he knew that I the requisite skills to manage my colony and that misperceptions of a breeders home including a large number of cats inadequate to seize these cats he had no probable cause to believe that any of my Persians were a subject of animal abuse. But, he also knew that taking my Persians was in his control as he wore a badge and that if he did take my beloved Persians it would hurt me emotionally to lead me to break down physically and emotionally. Officer Borgal employed by the ARL separated newborn kittens from their mother, separated other kittens from their mothers and exposed a closed colony of Persians to the sicknesses and diseases running rampant in a shelter.

Martha Smith, DVM and employee of the ARL separated newborns from their mothers and failed to secure adequate nutrition for them and they died within a few days. Autopsies were performed at Tufts denoting that these kittens died of starvation that they required to be feed every two hours. Smith failed to provide many of my beloved Persians adequate medical attention and her conclusions were inappropriate. For example neither Dr. Smith nor anyone from the ARL every consulted me on the medical, vaccination and nutritional history of any of my beloved Persians – she just arrogantly and wrongly made medical conclusions. Please note p40 had just delivered a litter of kittens, has clear eyes, which is evident in the photograph taken of her while her captors in the ARL are carrying her away without her newborn kittens. Although upon arrival Dr. Smith notes p40 has a diaphragmatic hernia. This hernia was as a result of her being transported to the ARL one of her captors hurt her probably while she struggled to find her newborns. Months after her captivity in the ARL shelter she died unexpectantly, where the autopsy report on p40 indicated that she had bilateral corneal ulcers and that she had died after months of being under prolonged stress of shelter living while in the care of the ARL – hernia, corneal ulcers and death! P14, named Cuddles and Champion show cat and trained companion, was found died in July with a massive soft tissue injury to the side of his head where the autopsy reports indicate he died of a heart attach after undergoing months of prolonged stress living in a shelter! P9, named Beamer (CH Bless My Soul) whose father was CFA’s Cat of the Year and whose mother was 5^th best cat in the country, was found dead in her cage in October 2003 three day before the staff ran lab tests which indicated that she was in shock, the autopsy report indicated that she had died of blood loss and bled to death over several days – the incompetent staff at the ARL could not even recognized an animal in shock! What else do you require in evidence that your ARL is negligent, requires an immediate investigation into its practices and that every donor should be made aware of this type of maliciousness. Financial records submitted to the Attorney Generals Office on Public Charities indicates that less then 1% of the donors dollar actually goes to medical supplies, and/or rescues – this is fraud and it appears you are condoning it.

It appears that the ARL is refusing to release my Persians against my wishes as a result of the Commonwealth’s request to hold my beloved Persians as evidence. But on May 25^th, 2004 Hon. Gregory Flynn of the Waltham District Court issued His findings[3] on attorney William Brownsberger’s Motions for Suppression and Allowed attorney Brownsberger’s Motion for the Return of Property (specifically Ms. Erickson’s Persians held by the Animal Rescue League in Pembroke, MA) and that at this time I requested their immediate return of my beloved Persians attorney Mabel for the ARL tried to claim that my Persians are under quarantine and that the Commissioner of the Department of Food & Agriculture Bureau of Animal Health and Dairying must lift the quarantine to enable there release. That is plain misrepresentation. The ARL caused the quarantine with its negligence and it can correct it and or convince anyone that my Persians can be released back to me immediately. It procured the quarantine and it can lift the quarantine and/or assure my Persians safe delivery back to me. Mabel is a liability for the ARL event over and over again. It appears that the ARL had two attorney continuously being present each day I was in court in the Waltham case and I am assuming they were not donating their time – this is a mishandling of the funds donated to the goals of the ARL as mentioned in its articles of incorporation. But what is also more shocking is the ARL’s complete failure to provide adequate medical care and make my Persians suffer needlessly and purposely. The ARL has caused the quarantine and now causes my Persians to continue to be inadequately cared for, should avail itself to transport my Persians back to my home were I am capable of giving them the love, medical attention and needs they require.

According to Dr. Lund’s observations which included an extensive review of the medical records on each Persians written by the ARL over the course of their unlawful stay. Dr. Lund has concluded that the cause for the quarantine is being self perpetuated by the lack of adequate medical care and improper housing management practices being employed by the ARL.

It appears to me that one wrong (seizure of her beloved Persian Pride) is now escalating and deepening the divide to meaningful restitution is again being perpetuated into the only resolution left open to me to regain my beloved Persians and protect their safety is to seek a massive litigation against each and every one associated with the ARL especially the board members as they condoned this above mentioned behavior for at least the year if not for the last several years.

My Persians did not require quarantine prior to there seizure and I maintain the allegation that the quarantine was placed to prevent any outside veterinarians and/or anyone like my attorneys from accessing the Persians – which the ARL wholeheartedly used to prevent any access and did so repeatedly for months. Dr. Lund contends that if the ARL had provided adequate medical care, having retained these Persians for now 12 months they should not have any infectious disease and the quarantine could have been lifted months ago.

It is of such grave injustice to perpetuate this wrong by maintaining what appears to be malicious and manipulated quarantine order and to keep me from my beloved, extremely valuable purebred, pedigreed Persians. I wish to have my beloved Persians returned immediately, return of these fine and gentle creatures that are receiving “inadequate veterinary care by their custodians”[4].

“Most of my Persians assist me as a form of accommodation for a disability I suffer (epilepsy) by their calming nature and consistent purrs together with my love and extreme attachment to them creates a bond that is unexplainable but comforting while reducing triggers that cause my seizures. Their absence, for now over a year, has been excruciatingly painful, devastating and has had its negative impact on me physically and emotionally. I ask you, please, for your immediate attention, compassion and assistance to help me in retrieve my beloved Persians being held under a quarantine issued by Dr. Loraine O’Connor’s of your Department of Food & Agriculture Bureau of Animal Health and Dairying because of “ringworm”.

Please note that causative agent for the alleged quarantine “ringworm” is not normally considered a public health concern, that the “ringworm” causative agent is the same fungus found in the contagious disease known as athletes foot “tinea titus” and/or “jock itch” a common infectious disease found in public showers, locker rooms and athletic clubs. In addition public pools shower rooms, and areas that the public walk barefooted including skate rental, bowling shoes from bowling ally’s public footwear rentals, ice skates at the frog pond and roller blades from public rentals and numerous athletic group members it is so common that TV has commercials of over the counter treatments. Even the CDC (Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta GA) does not recommend quarantine for pets and or people infected with this known fungus. To date there is never been a campaign and or order to close down a group sport activity, public pool, bowling ally, public shower, locker room nor a quarantine issued and/or orders to sterilize sanitize or take unusual measures to protect the public from accessing the infectious disease. There also is no responsibility for a physician to report to public health, school, athletic facilities on a patient he or she treats for the same causative agent. It appears that the quarantine order placed on my Persians is speculative as to its intent.

Assuming the quarantined is meant to protect the Persians and not the general public from an unsuspecting contact. Surely their immediate lack of medical attention is of far greater grave concern. In regards to the public, if applicable and that is speculative at best and inconsistent with recorded public health quarantines, my Persians are not expected nor is there any intention public display and therefore their release would not impart a public health concern. I strongly believe that any enforcement of such a quarantine order would be questionable and apparently motivated for other maybe malicious reasons. I could have my Persians transported in a closed truck. I am immune for such “ringworm”/”athletes foot” disease in addition it is a fairly common to be immune from the infectious nature of tinea titus and my acquired immunity is common place amongst athletes and cat breeders therefore concern for my acquiring the disease is null to nothing as is my ability to spread the disease. I have had my Persians falsely quarantined before 2 years ago by the same Department while I lived in Cambridge, MA and the quarantine did not prevent myself from contact and/or traveling in and/or out of the facility (my home) where my Persians were kept quarantined and did not require your Department of Agriculture to inspect my home pre and/or post quarantine.

Currently my Persians who have been continuously held, suffering as a result of the failures, negligence and incompetence of the ARL, as evidenced herein, should be returned to me immediately. There is sufficient and credible evidence that their custodians at the ARL Pembroke, MA have not been providing adequate medical care, have not given my Persians the love and attention that they need and require to survive. To date, several of my Persians have died and their deaths have been noted in part by autopsy reports indicating death due to stresses cause by confinement in a shelter, newborns required to be feed every two hours and that days that these innocent newborns died the ARL had custody of there babies separated newborns from their mothers and failed to provide nutrition where three days later they died. Other failed to thrive as their routines were upset, another died of dehydration and aspiration pneumonia over a month after being in the care of the ARL. Others after being held by the ARL for 5 months died of a perforated ulcer (stress induced) and bleed to death over several days because of the incompetent staff.

Please ask the Commissioner to release the quarantine over my beloved Persians and safely transport my Persians back to my home where I will provide excellent care, love and attention they require as they have always received until the day your staff unlawfully captured them and started to neglect these gentle show Persians.

1) In addition, autopsy and medical reports on the Persians taken as a result of the home invasion on 5/7/03 indicate causes of death to be death by euthanasia (3 in October 2003); dehydration (one on 6/20/03; and one on 1/6/04); acute aspiration pneumonia (one on 6/20/03); Heart attack due to stress and trauma to the face (7/26/03); Shock due to acute blood loss (10/6/03); One Persian suffered post surgical complications from an exploratory/elective surgery and died (10/17/03) and 5/8/03, 5/9/03, and two on 5/12/03 died of starvation as a result of the inability to suckle on the mother cat, mother cat inherently upset and stopped producing milk due to the stress of the traumatic relocation point to overall acute negligence and starvation supporting the substantial fact that irreparable harm has and will continue unless to occur while these beloved Persians are being euthanized, dying from neglect this Office could act to prevent further irreparable losses to these beloved genetically unique and valuable purebred Persians.

Cat #P13 autopsy report indicates: (death by euthanasia 10/17/03), due to prolonged stress producing diminished immunological defenses. Medical records indicate “This cat was hardy upon admit 5/7/03, wt loss noted on 9/17/03” and an unnecessary and experimental surgery “exploratory” was performed on cat 10/7/03 leading to its death from complications 10 days later.

Cat #P9 autopsy report indicates (death 10/6/03) emaciated cat, this cat had perforated its proximal duodenum – probably several weeks ago- that led to peritonitis and was the cause of its clinical symptoms. This cat never received emergency care and the staff was so incompetent that it could not tell that this cat was suffering from a perforated ulcer caused by stress! Medical records and laboratory tests confirm the cat was in shock (low hematocrit, high heart rate, dehydrated and high white blood cell count) no supportive or emergency treatment is indicated! Suspect to have been euthanized by an air injection and obsolete and painful technique, which is very inexpensive and outlawed as it is an excruciatingly painful euthanasia technique.

Cat #P40 autopsy report indicates (death by euthanasia 10/07/03) emaciation, bilateral corneal eye ulcerations. Medical records indicate cat first presented with diaphragmatic hernia – this was caused by trauma from mishandling by Defendant’s staff during the unlawful seizure and transportation on 5/7/03; bilateral corneal ulcerations were not present at time of seizure but due to negligence caused by Defendants. An inference should be reamed that Defendants purposely euthansized P40 to hide its neglected condition and concerned that Plaintiff’s expert would noticed the painful bilateral corneal ulcerations that were not present upon admission to Defendant’s care on 5/7/03 as evidenced in photograph of P40 taken at time of seizure (see Defendant’s Brief In Opposition to Plaintiff’s Request for Preliminary Injunction exhibit attached hereto at Exhibit C).

Cat #P46 autopsy report indicates (death 6/21/03) subacute pneumonia, aspiration and dehydration. Medical records indicate that this cat was given multiple baths in lime dip (not recommended by current veterinary practice as it dangerous and has numerous side effects).

At the time the League seized the 52 Persians (colony) Officer Borgal denied a neighbor vet to enter Ms. Erickson’s home to advise Borgal on his demanding seizure as the colony was being taken. This colony of highly valuable genetically, was an active competitive breeding program. It included 5 adult female Persians who were actively nursing kittens ranging from 5 (2 day olds) to several other 3 weeks to 5-week-old kittens. 5 obviously pregnant females that were in their late 2^nd and third trimester (5-8 weeks along a 9 week gestation period) and 5 adult male Persians together with 15 other female Persians. The 52 Persians consisted primarily of 25 adults (2 years and above) and 25 kittens (2years and under). As a result of the colonies seizure the 5 newborns died within 3 days (the autopsy reports indicate starvation) no doubt the mothers stopped lactating from the stress a concern that Officer Borgal refused to recognize and should have known that his seizure would result in this type of death sentence for the newborns and others. Officer Borgal’s actions truly negligent and malicious. He should not be allowed to be an animal officer and it is herein requested that a separate investigation of his actions be undertaken.

The pregnant queens aborted and others were overmedicated on a variety of drugs blindly prescribed by a League vet who advertently refused to consult the breeder on the colonies records, and habits. The kittens stopped thriving and the colony underwent excesses in stress.

Autopsy reports completed by Tufts Vet School pathology department indicate that many of the deaths were due to stresses of shelter living.

The League’s vet (Smith) suspected (emphasis added although no photograph supports this diagnosis) ringworm upon admission and decided to treat the active breeding colony with lime dip, 5 girls were pregnant it appears from reports that they aborted an expected outcome with exposure to lime dip. Photographs taken of the colony on 5/7/03 the day that they were seized shows the staff stretching the pregnant queens lifting their front head away from their hind legs – a sure way to increase the likelihood of an abortion from either placental rupture and/or detachment.

For the suspected but undocumented ringworm: none in the colony was treated with any other topical or systemic therapy and the ventilatory system inadequate and re-circulating. The cages and runs the colony is kept in contains blankets and old boxes that are not cleaned and there is a high likelihood spores are reoccurring by the Leagues purposeful negligent and inadequate therapy. Dr. Smith’s report on the Persians indicated that one kitten had puss running from its eyes that they had to soak the eye prior to it running although that kitten’s photo was taken the day it was seized and at my home – this photo shows this kitten’s eyes open. If there was puss running from the eye of this kitten upon examination by Dr. Smith it was from her negligence and unclean areas and separating this kitten from its mother that created the condition she allegedly observed and later documented. Since Dr. Smith had the initial seize photographs taken of each Persian, this reporting would be in fraud and additionally in violation of the law for false reporting of medical records.

The League was approached numerous times since 5/2003 by myself for access so that her vet could examine her colony at the League. The League then approached the Department of Food and Agriculture demanding it Quarantine the colony to prevent access by the breeders experts. Today over a year later the League maintains the quarantine and has given the colony ringworm it had not had upon entering the facility.

One of the Persians died of a ruptured ulcer the autopsy reports indicates that the rupture occurred days ago and that the girl bleed to death over several days. This is alarming inadequacies in a shelter who is taking the responsibility to takes animals during a seizure and insisting on taking the animals and insisting and preventing competent medical staff from treating and or examining the animals.

In March 2004 Dr. Catherine Lund, DVM Feline Practitioner of Providence RI, City Kitty examined the colony and her reports are amazing, she concludes that the League is doing absolutely nothing adequate for the skin problems, and or ringworm, upper respiratory symptoms, and one cat appears to have a vaginal discharge that it has had for allegedly 12 months! Some of the cats now have obvious skin lesions that they did not have upon arrival at the League.

This Colony is extremely valuable to me both emotionally and genetically. The Leagues behavior and lack of adequate medical attention alarming. Please help it appears you could. Please help me in the safe return of my beloved Persians.

Thank you for your time, consideration and response.

Yours truly,

Heidi K. Erickson

Visit www.cat-lady.org or call 617-319-4000

[1] Catherine Lund, DVM, Specialist in Feline Medicine

[3] Judge Flynn, Waltham District Court, Findings on Motions to Suppress, Comm. vs. Erickson.

[4] Dr. Catherine Lund, DVM; President of the Rhode Island Veterinarian Association who made comments upon her visit of the captive Persians March 16^th, 2004. Dr. Lund operates a purely feline practice in Providence RI named City Kitty and is keenly aware of each of my Persians health.