Dozens of cats abandoned in filthy home Delavan, WI (US) Incident Date: Saturday, Sep 16, 2000 County: Walworth Local Map: available Disposition: Alleged Alleged: » Joseph W. Clark » Laurel D. Clark

Case ID: 7728 Classification: Hoarding, Neglect / Abandonment Animal: cat View more cases in WI (US) Child or elder neglect Login to Watch this Case

Joseph W. Clark, 44, and his wife, Laurel D. Clark, 49, were evicted from their home in Delavan Township over Labor Day weekend leaving dozens of cats abandoned in the home.

They are both charged with 47 counts of animal cruelty, 47 counts of animal neglect and one count of child neglect after leaving the cats in their filthy home.

When police officers entered the home on Sept 16, they could not enter because the smell of waste was so bad. The home had to be ventilated for three hours before they went into the house. After entering the home, authorities found two dead cats and feces covering the floors. Feces was a foot deep in the kitchen.

It appeared the Clarks and their teenage son had been living in the house under those conditions for six months.

Only 13 cats survived. The rest had either died or had to be euthanized.

The Clarks are scheduled to appear in court Dec 1 and each could face a maximum 71 years and three months in prison if convicted of all counts.

In 1997, Joseph Clark also pleaded guilty to five counts of inhumane care of animals in Nov 1997 after abandoning numerous cats in his Wonder Lake, IL, home.

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References

Minneapolis Star Tribune - Nov 16, 2000

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