Hoarding - dozens of cats seized, some found dead Wausau, WI (US) Incident Date: Monday, Mar 11, 2002 County: Marathon Local Map: available Disposition: Dismissed Person of Interest: Lucina Wasmundt Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

Case ID: 7514 Classification: Hoarding, Neglect / Abandonment Animal: cat, dog (non pit-bull) View more cases in WI (US) Login to Watch this Case

Lucina Wasmundt, 74, was charged with four counts of felony animal mistreatment. The owner of the home, Wasmundt, was given until April 19 to bring the home back to acceptable living conditions.

Wasmundt, through her attorney, said she would not contest the department's order and plans to let her time limit expire without touching house. She gave permission to the humane officers and police officers to go onto the property.

Tom Wittkopf, manager of the Health Department's Environmental Health Services program said, "I don't know how you get the smell out of the wood. And the urine. You'd have to pull all the flooring up. It would probably exceed the cost of the house."

The officials found dozens of sickly cats still alive amid cat carcasses and feces covered floor, furniture in the home. The Marathon County Health Department has labeled the house "unfit for human habitation." The home is located at 11604 Highway U.

County officials say it would be virtually impossible to clean up because the mess is of such proportions.

If nothing is done to improve the health hazard within 30 days, the Health Department can resort to legal action, condemnation by boarding up the house or destroying it.

The problem was first found on March 11 by the police after a call from a Fed Ex employee who said no one was answering the door. When the police arrived, they discovered more than 50 malnourished and diseased cats. They also found bags of rotting chow, cats feed on feline carcasses and at lest two cats and a dog dead in cages in the garage.

Wasmundt was living with a 41-year old man in Merrill and had not returned to Stettin to care for her animals in a long time.

Eight cats were trapped and euthanized the first week. Officers from the human society returned to provide food and water for the remaining cats. Shelter workers think they are probably just keeping them alive long enough so they can be humanely destroyed.

Wasmundt faces up to 20 years in prison on the current charges.

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References

Wausau WI Daily Herald - Mar 26, 2002

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