85 Sick/Injured Animals And 35 Dead Cats Found In Port Orange Apartment

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Port Orange, FL - Over 80 sick and injured animals and 35 dead cats stuffed in trash bags were found in the home of a woman who was Baker Acted.

On December 7th the owner of a property on Riverside Dr in Port Orange called Animal Control to ask how many cats are allowed in an apartment. The man said he rents out the apartment and he wanted Animal Control to inspect it.

On January 5th police were called to that apartment for a well-being check on multiple cats. Crews from the Port Orange Fire Department were already on scene, and they told arriving police officers that the resident was being taken to the hospital under the Baker Act and there were several cats in the home in terrible conditions.

In the incident report, 1 officer wrote that the smell at the apartment was so bad they couldn't breathe and their eyes were stinging. He had to use a breathing apparatus to go inside.

When officers went inside they saw dozens of cats and 1 dog in terrible condition. They were all unusually thin, had severe coat issues, and they all had clear or green discharge coming from their eyes. Urine and feces were all over the floor and furniture and trash bags of debris were scattered throughout the apartment. No food bowls were seen and there were only 5 or 6 water dishes with dirty water. There was 1 small bag of cat food on the floor and officers saw 2 cats fighting over the last crumbs. No dog food was found.

The inspection lasted until the next day and 84 sick or injured cats and 1 sick Yorkie mix dog were all removed from the apartment. Officers also found 35 dead cats, all in varying stages of decomposition, stuffed inside multiple layers of trash bags.

All the surviving animals have been placed in a facility where they can be cared for until a custody hearing is arranged.

Photo courtesy Jim Parkin and Shutterstock.com.