Hoarding 13 cats, 4 dogs, 2 rabbits, guinea pig
Hopkinsville, KY (US)

Incident Date: Wednesday, May 31, 2006
County: Christian

Disposition: Convicted

Defendant/Suspect: Mary Catherine Word

A western Kentucky woman was found guilty of 20 counts of second-degree animal cruelty in Christian County District Court.

Mary Catherine Word, 49, Hopkinsville, was found guilty by a jury on Oct 10 after sheriff's deputies found 13 cats, four dogs, two rabbits and a guinea pig living in deplorable conditions in June, the Kentucky New Era reported. The jury recommended a sentence of 180 days in jail and a fine of $500.

Word was charged with animal cruelty after Christian County Animal Shelter Director Frieda Gilford filed a complaint.

Jurors saw photographs of the animals taken at the animal shelter on the day they were removed from Word's home. The photos of the animals' living conditions showed animal crates that were caked with feces, and contained dead mice and clumps of animal hair. A guinea pig cage was three-fourths full of a mixture of feces and food.

One cat, Sabrina, was diagnosed with Hepatic Lipidosis, a liver disease, and euthanized on Aug. 28, court records said.

Sentencing for Word is set for Oct. 27.

References

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