Of course the SPCA could have insisted that Penny treat her cats for any illness they exhibited...haven't we all seen and reported situations where the owners were given warnings? When I reported a dog in distress, the SPCA's attending person told me that he asked the owner to comply with his request that he clean out the garbage in the chained dog's hut and put a tarp over the roof so it wouldn't pour in the rain. The employee then stated to me that he felt the owner was basically a good guy and he was sure he'd comply. When I asked if he was going to follow up to ensure these requests were instituted, he replied that wouldn't be necessary.
So, how does Penny's situation differ from this?
As Lyn Macdonald mentioned in her post, that also means the SPCA has 40 healthy cats in their possession. Is there any way to keep track of how many of these cats are adopted and how many might be found to be ill after all, and euthanized?

I understand that Penny has a very astute lawyer and that she is the best hope to keep track of Penny's cats.