Case Details

Hoarding 112 cats
Warner Robins, GA (US)

Incident Date: Wednesday, Feb 28, 2007
County: Houston
Local Map: available
Disposition: Alleged

Alleged: Brenda P. McAnally

Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

Case ID: 11124
Classification: Hoarding
Animal: cat
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Suspect was in animal welfare field
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A Warner Robins woman known for rescuing strays faces multiple misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty after more than 100 cats were found in two apartments on her property.

Brenda McAnally, a 59-year-old volunteer with Homeless Animal Rescue & Placement Services, or HARPS, is expected to appear next week in Warner Robins Municipal Court on 133 counts of cruelty to animals and neglect of animal care, said Warner Robins police Capt. Brenda Parks-Mathern, interim director of the Warner Robins Animal Shelter.

McAnally, who is free on a $4,000 bond, also was charged with 98 counts of failing to provide proof of rabies inoculation for 98 of the cats, Parks-Mathern said.

The Georgia Department of Agriculture is investigating the incident, said Jackie A. Sosby, a department spokeswoman.

One hundred and twelve cats seized from McAnally's apartment and another, vacant apartment in the one-story building were euthanized the night of the Feb. 28 incident, Parks-Mathern said.

All the cats put down were sick, the shelter director said.

McAnally was allowed to keep four of the cats, with the understanding that one cat would go to her daughter at another residence in order for McAnally to be in compliance with the local ordinance that permits a total of three cats, with limited exceptions, Parks-Mathern said.

Five of the felines were taken to the animal shelter and later adopted by a Persian rescue group in Atlanta, the shelter director said. Eleven went to Southwood Animal Hospital for potential placement, she said.

Parks-Mathern said she later learned that one cat - not included in the total count on which the 133 charges were based - was found dead by animal control officers inside the vacant apartment.

McAnally said that the only thing that she did wrong was to be over the limit on the number of cats a city ordinance allows per household by having 45 cats in her apartment. She said all of her cats were very well taken care of and all had been to the vet within the last year, with most within the last six months.

She said the cats in her apartment were healthy overall, although a few were sick and on medication but improving. She said the 45 cats were her personal cats and that she was not operating a HARPS shelter.

McAnally said the vacant apartment where the other cats were discovered had been abandoned by a former tenant of her brother, who owned and managed the apartment building until his recent death. The property now belongs to her, she said. McAnally said she did not know the name of the former tenant and had recently discovered the cats inside.

She said she had just obtained a key to the vacant apartment and was working to place the cats. She said she spent $7,200 to have the apartment cleaned after the cats were seized by animal control officers.

She said she plans to plead not guilty in court next week.

According to Parks-Mathern, animal control was alerted to the situation by a patrol officer in the area on an unrelated matter. The officer saw feces outside the vacant apartment, smelled urine and saw numerous cats in the window, she said.

Animal control officers entering the building were forced to wear masks because the stench was so bad, Parks-Mathern said. She said feces was literally on every surface of the vacant apartment, that litter boxes were overrun with cat waste and there was no food and water for the animals.

However, the apartment in which McAnally lives in was clean, as were the cat boxes and food and water, the shelter director noted.

At the court appearance next week, McAnally will have the opportunity to plead to the charges. If she pleads not guilty, another court date will be set, Parks-Mathern said.

Michele Swafford of HARPS said McAnally was not serving as a foster caregiver for cats but is an active volunteer in the nonprofit agency. Swafford declined additional comment.

McAnally's telephone number is listed on the HARPS Web site as a contact for dog adoptions.

Eva Folse, a friend of McAnally's and a volunteer with a Macon animal rescue group, said she is outraged over the action of animal control officers.

She believes the situation was exaggerated, that there were half the number of cats as claimed, and that animal control officers are "persecuting" people who simply want to save the lives of abandoned and neglected strays.

Folse said she doesn't understand why the cats had to be put down. She said she does not believe the cats were sick or that they were not well-cared for.

A request for the Telegraph to review photographs taken by animal control officers the night of the incident was denied because the photographs are part of the evidence expected to be presented in court, according to Melanie Byer, who oversees public records requests at the police department.

Case Updates

A Warner Robins woman known for rescuing strays pleaded not guilty to more than 100 misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty, her attorney said.

McAnally waived a formal arraignment Wednesday in Warner Robins Municipal Court by entering a plea of not guilty in writing, said Ann Parman, her Macon attorney.

"She maintains that she's innocent of the charges against her," Parman said. The attorney declined to elaborate, citing a need to review the case.

Parman said she also filed a motion for discovery to learn what evidence the city may have against McAnally.

McAnally, who is free on $4,000 bond, also was charged with 98 counts of failing to provide proof of rabies inoculation for the cats, police said.

A trial date has not been set, said Maggie Leverette, assistant clerk of courts.

According to Brenda Parks-Mathern, interim director of the Warner Robins Animal Shelter, animal control was alerted to the situation by a patrol officer in the area on an unrelated matter. The officer saw feces outside the vacant apartment, smelled urine and saw numerous cats in the window.

One hundred and twelve cats seized from McAnally's apartment and an adjacent vacant apartment in the one-story building on Myrtle Street were euthanized the night of the Feb. 23 incident, Parks-Mathern said. All the cats put down were sick, she said.

McAnally was allowed to keep four of the cats with the understanding that one would go to her daugher at another residence to remain in compliance with a local ordinance allowing no more than three cats per household. Five cats were taken to the shelter and later adopted by a rescue group. Eleven went to a local vet for possible placement.

McAnally contended Wednesday in an interview that animal control officers had illegally seized her cats and had no right to euthanize her pets. She said that in other such instances the animals have been kept at the shelter until the case goes to court.

"They have no proof whatsoever that the animals were sick," McAnally said. "No vet ever saw them and they destroyed all the evidence."

McAnally previously told The Telegraph that the only thing she had done wrong was to be over the limit on the number of cats the ordinance allows per household by having 45 cats in her apartment.

She said all of her cats were well taken care of, all had been to the vet within the last year, and a few that were sick were on medication and improving. She said she was not operating a HARPS shelter.

McAnally said the vacant apartment where the other cats were discovered had been abandoned by a former tenant of her brother, who had owned and managed the apartment building until his recent death.
Source: Macon Telegraph - April 5, 2007
Update posted on Apr 6, 2007 - 7:27AM 

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References

Macon Telegraph - March 28, 2007

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