134 dead cats found in home - Paw Talk

greybird2 · #1 02-08-2005, 03:31 PM

134 dead cats found in home

By SAEED AHMED
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/08/05

Fulton County authorities call it one of the worst cases of animal abuse in county history: more than 100 cats found dead inside a two-story house in an affluent subdivision in Alpharetta.

One hundred and thirty-four cats lay strewn across every room of the house on Alstonefield Drive when animal services officials were called Feb. 1.

An additional 26 severely malnourished cats were found, said Susan Feingold, assistant director of county animal services. They were taken to a local animal clinic where they are being cared for until they are strong enough to be put up for adoption, she said.

"We basically found a house of horrors," Feingold said. "They were everywhere. In every bedroom. In the bathroom, the garage, the basement."

Authorities believe the cats may have died of dehydration or starvation, but won't know for certain until tests are completed.

The district attorney is awaiting test results on how the cats died before deciding whether to pursue criminal charges. Erik Friedly, a spokesman for the district attorney's office, said it could be a week before test results are known.

According to WXIA-TV, the home belonged to a woman who has volunteered for several cat rescue organizations. The police report said the woman was out of town and her ex-boyfriend contacted authorities because he was worried about the cats, the television station reported.

lixx · #2 02-08-2005, 04:57 PM

OMG. That is deplorable!

Purplebunny · #3 02-08-2005, 07:27 PM

OMG! That is so awful, it makes you wonder how much those poor kitties suffered?
I hope the others find new homes and have a happy life?

**Sasami** · #4 02-08-2005, 08:47 PM

That's horrible

.

Sassy · #5 02-08-2005, 09:43 PM

That is awful

pihlaja · #6 02-09-2005, 05:10 PM

Oh my stars ... This is so awful ... So many poor cats suffering until they die ...

If she attained those cats through rescue organisations, the people who gave her the cats should be ASHAMED they didn't catch her collective habits sooner!

Ilovesmepets · #7 02-10-2005, 12:55 AM

OMG!! That's awful.

greybird2 · #8 02-10-2005, 07:06 AM

Reported By: Jennifer Leslie
Reported By: Blair Meeks
Web Editor: Manav Tanneeru
Last Modified: 2/8/2005 4:58:32 PM

A woman may be charged with animal cruelty following the discovery of dozens of dead cats at her home in North Fulton County.

Investigators say they found 134 dead cats in various states of decomposition at the home belonging to Lauri Lockwood last week. The home is located on Alstonefield Drive near Alpharetta.

Twenty-six cats that were found still alive were taken to the Cat Clinic of Roswell for treatment. Some required extensive medication and hospitalization.

“I’ve been doing this awhile but I’ve never seen anything like this before,” said David Smith, the executive director of Fulton County Animal Services. “We kept finding more and more and more as we dug through garage bags, inside of cat carriers, inside of cat cages."

The county health department has condemned the home for the inhumane conditions inside.

“The word on the street was she had some dead cats but we didn’t know the magnitude of it,” said Prasanna Chikte, a neighbor.

Chikte said the homeowner has not returned to the home since police went inside last week.

The police report indicates the homeowner was out of town at the time. The woman’s ex-boyfriend contacted her veterinarian because he was worried about the cats and the veterinarian called police.

The Fulton County district attorney is waiting for test results on how the cats died before reaching a decision on any charges. Smith said initial indications are that the cats died of starvation and dehydration.

Lockwood had volunteered for two different cat rescue organizations during the past several years and she is well known in animal rights circles.

Many said they were surprised by the discovery of the dead cats.

Fulton County Animal Services asked for donations to help the cats found alive. Those cats will also eventually have to be adopted.

For more information about the cats or how you can help, please visit www.fultonanimalservices.com.

greybird2 · #9 02-10-2005, 07:08 AM

This woman was well known in animal rescue circles. That is what makes it even more disturbing and heart breaking! How can a person who volunteers her time, act as if she really cares about animal rites do such a horrible thing.

***Jade*** · #10 02-10-2005, 07:20 PM

greybird, when you post articles, please only post a small portion of the article accompanied by a link to the full version. If you can provide links for the above, I can change them so that you're not infringing upon the copyrights of the author.

Thanks.

greybird2 · #11 02-11-2005, 05:51 AM

I apologize Jade...I didn't realize that it was infringing if it was printed in a public domain such as the newspaper or a website and I included the author's name. so sorry

Kathy

MissAmandasZoo · #12 03-05-2005, 03:02 AM

that is disgusting! those poor kitties! my heart breaks for all of them. How can people do such things?

Mallory · #13 03-06-2005, 12:51 PM

That is sad.

jona_ASE · #14 03-22-2005, 01:29 PM

Oh poor kitties, that was really horrible!! How come she'd left all of them?

Blu · #15 03-22-2005, 05:34 PM

She should be charged!!! If she knew she was going out of town why didn't she have someone else take care of them for her while she was gone?? There is NO excuse for that sort of behavior!!!