Hoarding - 25 cats, 1 dog seized Lakewood, CO (US) Incident Date: Thursday, Nov 30, 1995 County: Jefferson Local Map: available Disposition: Alleged Alleged: Jean Ann Winger

Case ID: 7465 Classification: Hoarding, Neglect / Abandonment Animal: cat, dog (non pit-bull) View more cases in CO (US) Suspect was in animal welfare field Login to Watch this Case

Jean Ann Winger, 55, has been charged with 11 counts of animal cruelty after Jefferson County sheriff's deputies arrived to evict her from her apartment last week for nonpayment of rent. Her apartment was in the 1300 block of Brentwood Street.

Winger was charged with animal cruelty two years ago when more than 100 cats were found in her Denver home.

After removing 25 cats and 1 dog from Winger's apartment, authorities later learned that another 80 felines recently had been removed from the apartment, which measured just 750 square feet.

Pat Greer, Lakewood's animal control manager, said "It's the worst I have seen."

Winger's attorney said she has been running a nonprofit shelter for cats, most of which were hurt or abandoned. She nursed the animals back to health and then tried to place them with families who would give them a good home.

Winger was planning to move all the animals to a farm near Brighton.

The authorities don't doubt Winger's good intentions. Greer said, "She spent all of her money on her cats. She loves cats to death."

A Lakewood ordinance prohibits any resident from owning more than three adult pets.

Investigators found cat feces and cages soiled with urine and fecal matter in the apartment. A number of the cats were sick and were taken to the Table Mountain Animal Center to be examined by veterinarians.

In August 1993 Winger's apartment in the 1500 block of Utica Street, Denver, had a fire break out and firefighters found more than 100 cats and three dogs inside. Winger was injured during the fire and was later charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty. Later those charges were dropped after she agreed to plead guilty to zoning violations.

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References

The Denver Post - Jan 4, 1996

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