Hoarding - 20 cats alive, 50 in freezer - Wichita, KS

Tuesday, Jan 18, 2000

County: Sedgwick

Disposition: Alleged

Alleged: Marvi Gigger

When the fire department responded to a fire at Marvi Gigger's home, they found between 40 to 60 dead cats in her freezer. Twenty cats escaped the house fire.

When Wichita fire Captain Don Birmingham responded to a fire on North Bluff, he noticed a black substance on a downstairs freezer. He thought the appliance might provide clues to the cause of the fire and opened the freezer. He said in 21 years of firefighting he had never seen anything like what was found inside the freezer, the bodies of cats and kittens inside plastic bags. There were additional cats and kittens bodies found in a freezer upstairs, the total was 40 to 60 cats found in the two freezers.

Gigger said she planned on burying the cats eventually. She said some of the cats were ones she had found killed in the streets.

Marvi Gigger, 51, an aircraft worker who broke no laws except having too many live cats. She said she read in a story about animal hoarding or collecting and realized "I had turned into one of those people." She said, "I just like animals."

She confirmed at one time she had as many as 40 cats and kittens living her house. Gigger also said she knew she was supposed to have a permit. She fought to save cats.

Thirteen cats died in the fire, which officials say started at an electrical outlet.

Gigger had to spend the night in the hospital because of smoke inhalation. She has mentioned she will talk to her veterinarian at Countryside Pet Clinic about her "hoarding" and seek counseling. Gigger hopes to get back the cats that survived the fire, she plans on meeting with animal control.

The frozen cats were left in the freezers. Authorities said they didn't have any right to take the dead cats and they were considered private property.

References

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