Hoarding - 32 cats
Hardyston, NJ (US)Date: Jun 13, 2005
Disposition: Not Charged
Person of Interest: Susan Davenport
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Residents in the Carlton Village condominium complex started complaining of the stench from Susan Davenport's apartment months ago.
Eventually, facing eviction, Davenport, 59, moved out earlier this month. But the source of the odor remains � 32 hungry cats confined in the one-bedroom flat.
Authorities are aware of the situation but, for the time being, there is apparently little they can do. By law, Davenport has 30 days to claim the possessions � including the cats � she left behind.
In the meantime, the local animal control officer is keeping the cats fed.
"He (the officer) threw in cat food and water, and locked the cats in," said Rich Demelo, the complex controller. "And in this heat."
Ralph D'Aries of the Sparta Health Department � which serves several towns, including Hardyston � said his office is doing all it can to get the situation resolved.
"We're not going to sit on this for long," D'Aries said. "We're going to take care of the cats one way or the other."
For now, this means keeping them fed and healthy � a few have needed trips to the veterinarian. But if the time window closes and the cats are still there, they will be relocated or placed in shelters.
As for Davenport, she still has time to remove the cats herself.
"If not, we'll see her in court," D'Aries said.
The health department is working with the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which enforces the state's animal cruelty laws.
SCPA spokesman Matt Stanton stated June 16 that criminal charges had not yet been filed. He added, however, that it was a continuing investigation and said an officer was going to visit her later in the day.
"Our number-one priority is to get the cats out of there and get the healthy ones taken care of," Stanton said. "Right now, we're waiting to see what happens between the landlord and the tenant."
Attached to her door was a ticket citing her for animal cruelty and requesting that she claim her cats.
Sparta Health Inspector Frederick Reisen visited the apartment twice to tell her to do something about the smell. After his second visit, on May 31, he filed a report which read, in part: "Stench will kill a horse. Couldn't go into apartment."
And on June 13, Langdon said, an SPCA officer visited the apartment and found four dead kittens in Tupperware containers.
"They weren't sure if they were dead before (they were put into the Tupperware)," she said.
Dr. Shelley Parker, a veterinarian at the Animal Hospital of Sussex County in Frankford, said the cats will likely become ill if they are confined in the apartment for a full month.
"There's probably not going to be a lot left in 30 days," Parker said. "Even if they throw food down, the chances of upper respiratory infection are so high with the close proximity and lack of ventilation."
She added that, if the animals are not fed enough, they could turn into cannibals.
At the very least, cats need food and a clean supply of water to survive, but parasites and fleas will abound in unsanitary conditions, she said.
D'Aries, the Sparta health officer, said his office will make sure any sick cats get medical treatment. Estimating roughly eight man-hours have been spent dealing with the cat-filled apartment this month, he said the department will seek full compensation from Davenport for the time and money spent on this case. References« Back to Search Results
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