He thought the rescue pages would keep the money coming.
Instead, the rescues started comparing notes.
Rodney Travis Jr. was accused of adopting cats under different names, creating heartbreaking online stories about supposed illnesses, and collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars from people who believed they were helping save animals.
Then the pattern started to unravel.
Investigators connected multiple cats, multiple accounts and fabricated medical claims back to the same man.
Now Travis has pleaded guilty to six felony animal-cruelty counts, one misdemeanor animal-cruelty count and three felony computer-fraud counts.
The sentence: 15 years in prison.
Prosecutors said the cat-related fundraising alone brought in more than $407,000, and authorities documented more than $766,000 when other alleged fundraising activity was included.
He’ll also face a lifetime ban on owning or intentionally having contact with animals after his release.
The part that sticks with me most?
This case started falling apart because people in rescue communities talked to each other, compared what they were seeing, and refused to ignore the pattern.
A kitten adoption just became part of America’s political divide.
A NYC rescue posted that MAGA supporters, conservatives — and even people who say they’re “not political” — need not apply to adopt.
The rescue says its screening focuses on conduct, ethical alignment and animal safety.
PETA is pushing back, arguing that adoption decisions should be based on objective animal-welfare factors and whether someone can provide a safe, loving home.
Of all the things people expected to become political… adopting a kitten probably wasn’t one of them.