301 Cats -- 184 of Them Dead -- Found in Md. Home

Frederick County animal control officers are evaluating whether to press criminal charges against a Mount Airy woman after finding 184 dead cats and a dead dog in her house, along with 117 living cats and three living dogs, officials said yesterday.

Six animal control officers and a sheriff's deputy were required Friday to handle the situation, which is believed to be the largest case of animal hoarding in the county, said Harold L. Domer Jr., director of the animal control division. He announced the animal seizure Monday night.

Before they could account for the dead animals scattered throughout the home in the 14000 block of Black Ankle Road, the officers tried to save the animals that were alive.

Many of them were barely able to breathe in the stifling, ammonia-filled air, and many of them were sick, dehydrated and malnourished, Domer said.

Domer said no one has been charged in the case and would not release the identity of the person who kept the animals, saying the case was under investigation.

In its scale, the Mount Airy case resembles a recent one in Fairfax County, in which police officers pulled 493 cats -- dead and alive -- from homes in Mount Vernon and Burke.

Ruth Kneuven, 83, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of animal cruelty, was declared an unfit pet owner and was ordered to pay a $500 fine. A 360-day jail sentence was suspended. Kneuven's attorney argued that she has obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The Mount Airy case came to Frederick County officials' attention a week ago after someone visiting the house saw the situation and alerted the authorities, Domer said. The home's owner gave animal control officers permission to visit the house Thursday but then would not allow them inside.

Finally, the officers got a search and seizure warrant and entered the house shortly after 10 a.m. the next day. The owner was not home at the time, Domer said.

The sight that greeted the officers was astonishing, said Domer, who visited the house, set back from a winding, wooded road in a hilly, rural area where a "No Trespassing" sign hangs near almost every mailbox.

"The house was cluttered with feces and urine, and a number of paper plates and a number of paper products used to feed cats were throughout the house," Domer said.

A number of cats were roaming free, and others were kept in cages and pet carriers. The dead animals, he said, "were on the first floor, second floor, in different places, and there was an outbuilding where they were stored as well."

He said some dead animals were stored near cat food in several refrigerators around the house, while others were kept in plastic containers in a shed.

Food and water were set out all over the house, but "there's no way that one person could handle the feeding, the cleaning," Domer said.

The living animals were transported in crates to the animal control division's headquarters. There, a team of veterinarians from Buckeystown Veterinary Hospital examined them during the next three days. Two cats were beyond saving and were euthanized, Domer said.

Meanwhile, animal control officers at the house collected the dead animals, finishing at 5:15 p.m. The stench was so powerful that the officers had to step outside frequently for fresh air, Domer said.

The rest of the animals are in improving health and will be held until the case is resolved, Domer said.

"Why would someone want to live in a house full of dead animals?" Domer asked in response to a question.

"No, sir. I wouldn't want to speculate on what would cause somebody to do that."