About 100 cats removed from home - Saginaw, MI

Wednesday, Mar 10, 2004

County: Saginaw

Disposition: Not Charged

Person of Interest: Rosemary A. DeGesero

The morning of Mar 10, in the home of Rosemary A. DeGesero, 84, at 633 South Washington animal control officials found around 100 cats in her three story home. Robert J. Davis, city code enforcement specialist said, "It's literally the worst I've ever seen." Davis said his first inclination was to condemn the home because it was unsanitary and dangerous. The smell was overwhelming.

"You've got the Vick's in your nose and the respirator and you're still gagging. We're concerned for her safety. They're afraid that if she knocks herself out, some of the cats are pretty aggressive, and they'll eat her up."

Saginaw city ordinances allows a maximum of seven dogs and cats in a dwelling.

The director of Saginaw County Animal Care Center, Mark A. Wachner, "You can't socialize 100 cats. We'll probably put most of them down because they're not handle able."

DeGesero insists her cats are "fat and healthy." She said a woman assists her daily with the care of her cats. Most hoarders or collectors claim their animals are healthy when they are actually living in squalor. "Hoarders are often not lying, they lack the insight into the true nature of the conditions. They provide seriously unsanitary and restricted environments for themselves and for the other people in their households."

In the 1970s DeGesero once owned a leopard, lions, and panthers. She has always had many cats.

An anonymous friend of one of DeGesero's relatives said the decision to intervene on her behalf came after her living conditions became dangerous. The high ammonia levels from high concentrations of cat urine could threaten her health.

References

• « MI State Animal Cruelty Map
  « More cases in Saginaw County, MI

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