16 cats stuffed in hot car, 35 more in home Mandeville, LA (US) Incident Date: Wednesday, Aug 10, 2005 County: Saint Tammany Local Map: available Disposition: Convicted Abuser/Suspect: Rita Mae Bridges

Case ID: 9248 Classification: Hoarding Animal: cat View more cases in LA (US) Login to Watch this Case

A woman who put 16 unhealhty cats into a closed car on a hot day to keep Animal Control officers from seeing them has pleaded guilty to animal cruelty and received a suspended six-month sentence.

Rita Bridges � who told investigators she hid the cats because she was afraid their presence might prompt inspectors to confiscate her 35 or more healthy cats � was told she cannot own any cats in St. Tammany Parish during her two years of probation, the district attorney's office said.

State District Judge Donald Findlason also ordered her to pay $2,662.57 to compensate the Animal Control facility near Abita Springs for its care of the animals.

Bridges, 57, pleaded guilty to 16 counts of the misdemeanor, prosecutors said.

Mandeville police arrested Bridges at her home Aug. 10 after Animal Control officers found the cats in her car, which was parked outside a store on Causeway Boulevard.

They were on their way to check out complaints from Bridges' neighbors when they learned about the car full of cats, according to the district attorney's office.

City police Sgt. Ron Ruple said the car was stifling when officers broke out a window to rescue the animals. "It had to be over 100 degrees," he said.

Although Bridges had left a water jug and bags of cat food in the car, she hadn't opened them, police noted.

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Nola - July 8, 2006

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