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Hoarding - 65 cats seized, many found dead
Pawtucket, RI (US)

Incident Date: Tuesday, May 9, 2006
County: Providence

Disposition: Not Charged

Person of Interest: woman

Some of the cats, dead from natural causes, were retrieved from the freezer where the women living in the home were keeping them. "She said the situation got out of hand," said Animal Control Officer John Holmes. "She said she couldn't handle it anymore. "She signed the cats over to us."

Neightborhood residents called Holmes, reporting an unusual number of cats around the woman's home and the home of her daughter, who lives on the second floor. Holmes went to the apartment building at 1 p.m. Tuesday May�9, 2006�with Dr. E.J. Finocchio and David Holden with the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Once they got into the home, they called in Police Lt. William Karalis. Karalis called in detectives and city housing officials.

During that time, Holmes and company removed the bodies of seven cats from the woman's freezer and picked up 65 live cats to bring them to the Gansett Animal Hospital for an evaluation.

Several more cats were in the house, possibly dozens more, Holmes said. Traps were being set for those unwilling to be handled by a human. "There are some cats the woman told us she couldn't handle," Holmes said. "We'll have to come back for those. "For the most part, these cats are pretty good. Most of them are friendly and they appear to be healthy."

The presence of the cats has not been kind to the woman's home, police say. Dried cat feces covered the floors and the building was filled with a powerful smell from the animals, police report. Detectives with the police identification bureau arrived to take pictures of the home. City housing inspectors initially determined that the house was not fit for habitation. The door was padlocked. The woman, 51, was told she would have to find other accomodations until the house is cleaned and repaired. The cats will be going to new homes, too.

None of the cats were spayed, neutered or vacinated, Holmes said. Veterinarians at the Gansett Animal Hospital agreed to take in the cats, to see if they are in good health. "Some of these animals will be available for adoption," Holmes said. "We'll be checking on them."

The woman who owned the cats was cooperating with the police and animal welfare officials, Holmes said. Police declined to release the woman's name.

References

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