A Dacono home has been condemned by health officials after dozens of cats were found living inside. Mountain View firefighters rescued four more cats from the trailer on Saturday, but authorities believe there could be 20 to 30 cats still inside.
The trailer is located on the 1100 block of Maclean Street.
Officials' biggest worry right now is that some of the cats have illnesses that could be passed on to humans.
"I petted them. They have big holes on them from their hair falling and stuff. They're disgusting and they smelled so bad," said neighbor Rebecca Ochoa.
Neighbors said that the horrid smell was something they couldn't avoid.
"Every time it rains or wind blows, we have to use a lot of air freshener," said Robert Espindola.
Dacono police went into the home with a search warrant after several neighbors called to complain. Officers said they found the trailer full of cats who were living among their own feces and urine. Many of felines are in bad shape.
"Some are very, very ill. We had to put two to sleep so far," said Dacono police spokeswoman Kelli Revoir.
Health officials also said there's a hole in the floor where they believe many of the cats are still living.
"We do know none have been vaccinated. When they live in a colony like this, they can pass diseases back and forth to each other," said Revoir.
Worry about diseases such as ringworms has crews suiting up in Hazmat suits before they go into the trailer.
"The cats that are savable ... we hope to put them up for adoption so they can lead good lives," Revoir said.
The homeowner, Pamela Flanders, could face animal cruelty charges after the Weld County district attorney looks over the case.
Her husband, Almon Flanders, has been charged with having more than the maximum number of animals in a home. Case UpdatesA Dacono woman who was charged with animal cruelty when 29 ill and diseased cats were found in her mobile home will get a mental health evaluation and will be allowed to have only two pets.
The plea agreement between the Weld District Attorney's Office and Pamela Flanders was reached last week. Her jury trial was scheduled to begin Wednesday, but was canceled when the agreement was reached.
Flanders at first pleaded not guilty in the case, telling police she only owned four cats, and the others were wild, feral cats who got into her house through the cat door. She also said she was not in the state when the cats were in her house but was visiting a friend in Michigan.
Sheriff's deputies and Longmont Humane Society officials said all of the cats suffered from either ringworm or feline herpes, and many had to be euthanized.
In addition to the mental health evaluation and the limit on pets, Flanders also will be on probation for three years and must pay $259 in court costs. Court records also showed she owes more than $11,000 to the town of Dacono and the Longmont Humane Society for care of the cats. | Source: Greely Tribune - June 1, 2006
Update posted on Jun 4, 2006 - 11:21PM |
A Weld County judge on Friday morning rejected the guilty plea of a woman accused of animal cruelty after Dacono police found 26 diseased cats in her home in February.
Without a defense attorney, County Judge Marcelo Kopcow said Pamela Flanders may not understand just how much she'd owe the Humane Society if she's convicted.
Flanders was representing herself at Friday's pretrial hearing.
Flanders told Kopcow she understood that $5,000 would be enough to cover what the Humane Society has spent sheltering and treating the cats found in her home.
The cats were cared for at the Longmont Humane Society.
Flanders insists only four of the 26 cats were hers.
"They caught every cat in the neighborhood," she said.
But Kopcow said the numbers just didn't add up.
"This case is going astray. No pun intended," Kopcow said. "If prosecutors can prove at a restitution hearing that you are the owner (of the cats), this hearing will not protect you from (a huge bill)."
He told Flanders she could face a bill of up to $16,000 or $17,000 and expressed doubt that she was fully aware of the implications of a guilty plea.
Kopcow twice questioned her sobriety during the hearing, but Flanders denied she had been drinking Friday morning, although she admitted drinking schnapps Thursday night.
Confused and crying, she eventually accepted the advice of her husband, Bud Flanders, and agreed to wait until a later date to enter a plea.
After hearing Flanders had broken with her former defense attorney because they "weren't seeing eye to eye," Kopcow postponed the case for a fourth time and recommended she apply for a public defender's services.
Flanders' pretrial hearing is now scheduled for Oct. 20 in Greeley.
Dacono police say the 26 cats they trapped in Flanders' home in February suffered from ringworm and feline herpes.
The Longmont Humane Society had to euthanize 17 of the cats and successfully adopted out the other nine.
If convicted on a misdemeanor charge of cruelty to animals, Flanders faces a maximum sentence of 18 months in jail and a $5,000 fine, in addition to court costs and restitution fees for animal care, a Weld County district attorney's spokeswoman said. | Source: Longmont FYI - Sept 17, 2005
Update posted on Sep 19, 2005 - 10:01AM |
The woman who had as many as 26 cats infected with ringworm and feline herpes in her Dacono trailer was charged Friday with one count of misdemeanor animal cruelty in Weld County.
Pamela Flanders faces a maximum sentence of 18 months in jail and a $5,000 fine if she is convicted, said Leanne Glasgow, a spokeswoman for the Weld County District Attorney�s Office.
�Certainly, there could be some conditions on the sentencing set by the judge,� she said.
Flanders will appear in court April 25, Glasgow said.
Longmont Humane Society officials have said the cat hoarding case was the worst ever in the area.
The agency has now euthanized 14 of the cats and continues to care for 12, all sick with ringworm and in quarantine, according to Longmont Humane Society spokeswoman Brianna Beauvait.
Two of the cats were euthanized the first week because of acute feline herpes.
Twelve more cats were put down last week due to severe behavioral problems, Beauvait said.
�Why put them through the misery of quarantine if they are not going to be socialized and adopted out?� she said.
Beauvait said the cats turned over to the Humane Society covered the full spectrum of sociability, from docile and domesticated to wild.
�It was very bizarre,� she said.
Police, firefighters and health officials in hazardous-material suits and masks searched Flanders� home Feb. 25 to remove the cats that were living there.
Police first contacted Flanders Feb. 22, responding to a complaint about the cats.
Flanders initially worked with police to remove the cats but then became uncooperative after they arrested her on an unrelated warrant.
Her husband, Bud Flanders, who was out of town when their home was searched, does not face any charges related to the incident, Glasgow said. | Source: LongmontFYI - March 26, 2005
Update posted on Apr 1, 2005 - 9:37AM |
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