Hoarding - 22 cats, 2 dogs seized
Bryans Road, MD (US)Incident Date: Friday, Jul 23, 2010
County: Charles
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Joyce Ann Metzger
Authorities charged a Bryans Road woman with 48 counts of animal cruelty late last month, alleging her 22 cats and two dogs suffered from dirty drinking water, lack of medical care and unsanitary surroundings.
Many of Joyce Ann Metzger's pets were in poor physical condition and had skin problems and various injuries when animal control workers pulled them from her home July 23, court documents report. Some of them were malnourished, and none had received adequate veterinary care, the papers state.
Complaints about the number of cats in the neighborhood prompted Charles County Animal Control to investigate conditions at the Boxwood Circle residence and get a search and seizure warrant, Chief Edward Tucker reported.
When Charles County sheriff's officers and animal control workers went to Metzger's home, they found the floors were covered with "compacted filth" and some piles of cat feces, court reports show.
Many of the cats were inside a row of tarpaulin-covered cages that lined the back of the home. Temperatures in the structures, constructed of wood, plastic and glass-like materials, ranged between 90 and 93 degrees, the charging documents state.
Authorities also recovered cats in a second-floor room and a garage that were dirty and not properly ventilated, the court documents report.
Veterinarians with the VCA Animal Hospitals and Action Care Mobile Veterinary Clinic checked each of the two dogs and 22 cats, two of which reportedly were kittens.
On Monday, Metzger, 57, was served with a summons to a Nov. 8 preliminary hearing in Charles County District Court, records show. She is charged with 24 counts of animal cruelty and 24 counts of failing to provide her animals with proper food, veterinary care, drink, air, space, shelter or protection from the weather.
A resident on Boxwood Circle said Metzger's cats used to wander around the neighborhood.
"She had lots of cats, and they had kittens … quite a few," Martha Williams said.
Tucker declined to provide additional details about the case because court proceedings are pending. Metzger couldn't be reached for comment. References |
