Northpinellas: Hold your nose: 100 cats had the run of the house

CLEARWATER - Neighbors' complaints of a foul smell led authorities Wednesday to condemn a north Clearwater home, removing a 57-year-old woman, her elderly mother and more than 100 cats.

"The house is coated with fecal matter," Clearwater police Sgt. Greg Stewart said. "The smell is overwhelming in and around the house. ... The Fire Department is on scene to help us breathe."

Officers initially went to the house at 1881 Union St. on Tuesday afternoon, but the daughter would not let them inside, Stewart said.

Police returned Wednesday with a child protective investigator, who went inside, got a look at the conditions and took the woman's 92-year-old mother to a nursing home, citing the house's conditions, Stewart said.

The daughter, meanwhile, was hospitalized under the state's Baker Act, which lets people be committed up to 72 hours for psychiatric evaluation. The Times typically does not identify people committed under the Baker Act and authorities did not release the name of the woman's mother.

Authorities were still investigating Wednesday afternoon and were not sure how long the mother and daughter had been living in such conditions.

The official count of animals, meanwhile, continued to rise as the day went on - topping more than 100 cats and two small dogs by Tuesday evening.

As Pinellas County Animal Services workers continued to trap animals, those already captured sat in the front yard stacked in pet carriers surrounding a statue of St. Francis of Assisi, the Catholic patron saint of animals.

"There may be 20 cats out of 100 that look in fairly good health. Eighty of them appear to have health issues of one kind or other: mucus, runny noses, runny eyes, injuries," said Linda Britland, a county Animal Services field manager.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Tampa Bay was going to take 40 of the cats, leaving county Animal Services with the balance, Britland said.

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by Peggy	04/10/07 10:37 AM
Fostering good will, We would like to to help and assist in the clean up of this home. We want to help clean it up. Not judge them just clean it up. Can someone let us know who to contact to get this started? pobrien@bio-proresearch.com

by Karen	04/06/07 09:28 PM
I agree with Pat the women had good intentions and it got out of hand...As a animal lover I know how you want so much to make a difference. We need more volunteers...And don't judge someone when you don't know the whole story...

by Jamie	04/06/07 09:14 PM
Perrin-DCFS was brought in because of the mother-they also deal in elder abuse which this was. If the neighbors could smell it imagine what it was like inside and to be 90yrs old w/ no way out. All hoarding is a disease and there are treatments.

by JT	04/06/07 06:53 PM
Volunteer? Help? The neighbors did HELP by VOLUNTEERING to call the authorities. This daughter was responsible for the care of her 92 year old mother. No matter where her heart or her mind was, she wasn't taking proper care of this poor woman.

by Mary	04/06/07 06:32 PM
Yes, it's admirable trying to save animals. Living in unhealthy toxic conditions is not. I have worked and visited nursing homes and not encountered feces covered floors. Imagine the shape her mother was in. The woman is nuts and needs help. NOW

by KK	04/06/07 06:20 PM
SIMPLE ISSUE?...IT'S A SIMPLE ACTION TO GO HELP YOUR NEIGHBOR! ... "No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." -Aesop

by Heather	04/06/07 03:07 PM
I agree with KK. We should be helping each other, not criticizing one another. Where was her family, neighbors, friends? Its just too easy to pick up a phone and have everyone/thing moved somewhere else & be someone elses problem...

by John	04/06/07 01:54 PM
Suprisingly polarized responses to a simple issue. There was probable cause to enter the home, no warrant needed. No person or animal should live in these conditions. The homes a toxic waste sight & endangers the public. This is animal & elder abuse.

by KK	04/06/07 11:59 AM
...GET OUT AND VOLUNTEER, NOT JUST TO THE ORGANIZATIONS, BUT HELP YOUR NEIGHBORS, SHE WAS SOMEBODY'S NEIGHBOR, WHY DIDN'T THEY OFFER HER HELP INSTEAD OF CRITICISM?....THIS IS WHY THE WORLD IS IN DECLINE OF GOOD PEOPLE!

by KK	04/06/07 11:51 AM
IT'S SO EASY FOR PEOPLE TO SIT BACK ON THEIR ELECTRONIC DEVICES AND SAY THINGS ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE'S LIVES, WE ALL HAVE OUR ISSUES, WE SHOULD ALL GET UP OFF OUR BUTTS AND VOLUNTEER OURSELVES TO THESE PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO DO GOOD IN THE WORLD...!

by Animal Lover	04/06/07 09:34 AM
Shelby-its not the number of cats that make her mental-its the condition they were in.If you can care for 100 cats/change the litter everyday/feed them-thats fine. If you have 1 cat and there is fecal matter all over the place-you have a problem.

by LANA	04/06/07 08:43 AM
SOMEONE HAS TO CARE FOR THESE ANIMALS, SHELTERS PUT ANIMALS DOWN QUICKLY AND THERE ARENT ENOUGH GOOD PEOPLE IN THE WORLD WHO WOULD ADOPT AN ANIMAL TO SAVE ITS LIFE. WE ARE WHY THERE ARE SO MANY ANIMALS,HAVE YOUR ANIMALS FIXED.

by Renee	04/06/07 07:50 AM
Amazing, how quick we are to judge someone when we arent even standing in their shoes.

by Perrin	04/06/07 07:41 AM
Why was a Child Protective Investigator brought in? Do they have the right to enter a house without a warrant? Why didn't they just get a warrant? There wasn't even a child in the house, according to this article. Abuse of powers!

by JT	04/06/07 07:11 AM
Sounds like some of you need a shrink too. Shelby, conditions such as these are worse than a nursing home? Come on. Mentally ill or not, these animals and mom were rescued from this woman.

by glenn	04/06/07 06:43 AM
i used to work for animal controll and went on a call about the same as this one only it was a 88 tear old man. the smell of urine alone would take your brath away. where are these peoples family, to let this go on like that.

by Sean	04/06/07 05:30 AM
My former employer fostered over 100 cats when the local no-kill shelter lost its lease. She changed out and disinfected 8 litter boxes every night and constantly cleaned when she wasn't working. Her house didn't smell a bit, but she had no life. heh

by bja	04/06/07 05:30 AM
This is obsessive-complusive behavior. Unlike shoe or electronics hoarders, these are living animals kept as prisoners. I have 1st hand experience of a similar situation. If the door was left open, those cats would flee for their lives.

by Laura	04/06/07 03:51 AM
Animal hoarding is a mental illness. The woman needs help. If released, she will do this all over again. This has been proven time and again. She may have begun with good intentions, as do most "hoarders". Google "Animal Hoarders" - sad & scary.

by KO	04/06/07 03:36 AM
Shelby, your love for animals has clouded your judgment. Living in that kind of filth is the problem, not that it was caused by the cats. I feel badly for the animals & the people involved, but sounds like they all really needed some help.

by Rob	04/06/07 03:02 AM
Who the hell wants to live > 92 people! What we're eating etc. is killing us before we're 55 . Leave them alone and give a hand cleaning the place up; she's obviously feeding them well.

by Diane	04/06/07 02:23 AM
I sure hope all will get the help they need It must have been going on for years. Where was the rest of the family? How come no one knew how bad it was getting?I have 5 cats I just can't imagine someone living with more then that.5 is too many!

by James	04/06/07 01:43 AM
Cats are companion animals. These animals would only require veterinary treatment and have a good home to be happy. The woman in question is not mentally ill, it is those who abandon their animals that are ill.

by celta	04/06/07 12:51 AM
This is a health issue-if the neighbors are complaining of the stench, imagine what it's like inside. This woman was not helping the cats, they were in deplorable condition. the older woman will probably receive better care than she was getting.

by Pam	04/06/07 12:22 AM
As someone who works for a homeless cat assistance organization, I think there are a lot of irresponsible comments being posted here. Most feral cats are not "infected with feline AIDS." It does occur, but it is not as common as "b" stated.

by Katie	04/06/07 12:19 AM
LC, you are wrong. The main reason for the declining songbird population is habitat loss.

by Kooky	04/05/07 11:46 PM
How in the world anyone couldnt believe this woman was mentally ill is beyond me. That idiot who says the rancid feces of 100 cats is better than a nursing home also needs psychiatric evaluation!

by L	04/05/07 11:14 PM
Sirs, 100 cats and two dogs? Try 200 cats and no dogs! This was a friends' Aunts' home. Yes, she died, the cats were gotten rid of, and the house was torn down. This was some fifty years ago. L.

by Lily	04/05/07 10:55 PM
This type of story is becoming all too common these days. Most counties set limits as to how many pets of each species can be kept in a household to prevent this kind of situation from occurring. problem is keeping the general public aware of the law

by Jayne	04/05/07 10:55 PM
Jeri, fleas are not picky about the warm-blooded four-legger they attach themselves to. They are not "CAT FLEAS." What, someone has fleas on their carpet and you call them RUG FLEAS? Geez. You can bring them in from walking in the yard.

by Jen	04/05/07 10:49 PM
Um, Shelby? It'd be one thing if the animals were in good health. And living in a house coated in fecal matter? Yeah, that's really sanitary.

by kim	04/05/07 09:48 PM
this is sad for both the humans and the cats. I bet quite a few cats will be e'd. I have a himmie rescue from a 92 cat situation. I have difficulty grooming him but he's a wonderful purrsonality. Let's hope for the best for these kitties.

by Cara	04/05/07 09:46 PM
What are they going to do with all the cats?

by shelby	04/05/07 09:31 PM
It's funny how shoes and clothing and electronics hoarders are not considered mentally ill, but a woman who tries to help cats is. Irony! And to all of you who says "how could she do it to her mom", let me tell you, nothing is worse than nursing home

by LC	04/05/07 09:27 PM
People that fixate on pets as friends are in need of human contact. Cats and Dogs are the #1 problem with the die off of song birds and smaller mammals (beloved chipmunk and other soon to be 'listed' 'natives'). One pet, keep it in and on a leash!!!!