Hoarding 87 cats
Rockford, IL (US)

Incident Date: Monday, Sep 8, 2008
County: Winnebago

Disposition: Not Charged

Person of Interest: Peggy Curtis

A call from neighbors about a strange smell leads animal control officers to 87 cats inside a Rockford apartment.

According to Winnebago County Animal Services, the cats were inside an apartment at 3224 Sablewood Drive on the city's northwest side. When officers got to the home Monday they found cats all over the apartment, including in closets, cupboards and under beds. They spent about five and a half hours inside the apartment. They say Peggy Curtis had collected the cats over the past two years.

All of the cats were too sick to be adopted and all but one has already been euthanized. Animal Services Director Gary Longanecker calls this the worst case he's ever seen and says it's taken an emotional toll on his staff. "There were literally staff members that were weeping."

Inside the apartment there was only one litter box. "They had been in-fighting so a lot of them were clawed and scratched up, some fresh some old injuries. It was just a very deplorable condition," said Longanecker.

"She's real nice, she's real friendly. Does all types of stuff for the kids, has little barbeques in the back yard. Brings treats for them on holidays and same thing for the dog. She's always playing with my dog and everybody else's dogs around here," said Neighbor Kesha Taylor.

Animal Services will present the case to the State Attorney's Office which will decide whether to file charges against Curtis in a couple of days.

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