| Case ID: 10097 |
| Classification: Hoarding |
| Animal: cat, bird (pet), other wildlife, bird (wildlife) |
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| Person(s) in animal care |
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Tuesday, Nov 14, 2006
County: OrangeDisposition: Not Charged
Person of Interest: Patricia Martin
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
Police found 150 cats, two doves, two possums, and a parrot today at a woman's single-family home, county officials reported.
An ill cat was taken to Orange County Animal Services where it died, officials there said. Police first discovered the cats at about noon after responding to an assault call at the 8100 block of Central Avenue.
Pet owner Patricia Martin, 53, was allowed to keep her animals until Nov 15. That's when she and officials will determine whether she'll have to surrender the animals to county officials or have the option to relocate the animals to other homes by a specific time, Orange County Animal Services officials reported.
The animals are in good enough health to stay overnight, officials added.
Martin, who heads Furry Critters Rescue & Rehab, said she simply wanted to rescue the cats and became overwhelmed when she fell sick recently.
She said she owns four adult animals but the "rest are up for adoption."
"I'm not a collector," Martin said.
Regardless, officials said, Martin violated city ordinance which allows residents to own a maximum of three adult dogs or cats.
On Nov 14, officials ordered her to release the possums to the wild. She was allowed to keep the parrot and doves.
Case Updates
| Patricia Martin, who says she runs a shelter in her single-family residence, must find homes for more than 100 cats by Dec. 1, county health officials say County health officials said that a 53-year-old woman, who kept close to 200 cats in her home, will have two weeks to give away most of the animals. Martin said she runs a nonprofit shelter called Furry Critters Rescue and Rehab from her Central Avenue house. But, she added, she does not have a city permit to do so. "I intend to go down to city hall and get that permit this week," she said. Martin said the number of cats in her home "got out of hand" over the last month or so because more cats took longer to get adopted or recover from their illnesses. "Getting people to adopt older cats is not an easy job," Martin said. Garden Grove police found the cats in Martin's house Tuesday. City code allows a resident to own no more than three adult animals in a residence. County officials said they have decided not to impound the cats, but to give Martin the opportunity to find homes for them. Officials said they found Martin cared for most animals. "It's not easy for one woman to care for 200 cats," said Deanne Thompson, a spokeswoman for the Orange County Healthcare Agency. "But she's been doing what she can." As of this evening, 80 cats had been given to adoption agencies, she said. Newport Beach Animal Control officers picked up four cats to be placed in a shelter in that city, which euthanizes only very old or sick animals. |
| Source: OCReister - Nov 15, 2006 Update posted on Nov 19, 2006 - 11:38AM |
References
- « CA State Animal Cruelty Map
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