Hoarding - 20 cats Scottsdale, AZ (US) Incident Date: Friday, Nov 5, 2004 County: Maricopa Local Map: available Disposition: Alleged Alleged: Patricia Faulkner

Case ID: 3140 Classification: Hoarding Animal: cat View more cases in AZ (US) Login to Watch this Case

An overwhelming foul stench led police to the quiet neighborhood near Saguaro High School. Concerned neighbors contacted them, complaining of noxious odors wafting from a small terra cotta house in the 8100 block of East Rovey Avenue.

Police, city and social service officials found 20 cats as they waded through trash piled three feet deep. Flies swarmed piles of feces, urine and mildewed food. The elderly owner of the house was nowhere to be found. advertisement A woman in her 70s lived in the house for years before moving out six weeks ago, returning periodically to feed her dog and gaggle of cats. When officers contacted her last week, Patricia Faulkner claimed the house had fallen into disrepair only recently.

Officers who donned biohazard suits and respirators to inspect the house told a different story.

"The stench, germs and debris were so bad, I didn't let my officers go room to room to look. We had to pull out," Scottsdale police Sgt. Mark Brachtl said.

Homicide detectives trained to handle biologically hazardous murder scenes were called in.

Faulkner now has three weeks to clean the house and the surrounding yard of debris and trash, Brachtl said. If she fails to do so, the city can take over and issue a lien to Faulkner for the costs of cleaning the area.

If she shows some signs of significant effort, however, the 31-day deadline can be extended.

The city's office of Neighborhood Services will offer Faulkner assistance and guidance.

Faulkner's niece indicated that the woman has been diagnosed with depression, which psychologists closely link to a hoarding mentality in elderly adults. Schizophrenia, depression, reclusiveness or chronic isolation can often blur an individual's ability to assess his or her environment, according to research conducted at Tufts University in Massachusetts.

Scottsdale police have been working closely with city code enforcement officials for the past six months, enabling officers to enforce land and zoning ordinances and identify individuals like Faulkner who violate them.

Faulkner eventually agreed to give 16 of the 20 cats to the Arizona Humane Society.

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References

The Arizona Republic - Nov 12, 2004

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