Animal Hoarding: More Than 50 Pets Removed From California Home
Santa Ana, CA – More than 50 dogs and cats were seized from a home animal service workers described as “filthy” on Wednesday. Nancy Richling, 62, may face animal cruelty charges for the conditions the creatures were living in on her property.
The animal hoarding seizure included 49 flea-ridden cats, many of which were also reportedly plagued by mange and other diseases, according to ABC News. The Santa Ana Animal Services agency allegedly tried to work with Richling for months before entering her home and rescuing the dogs and cats. Some of the animals had eye infections, ear mites, abscesses, and torn corneas, according to the Contra Costa Times.
Animal Services Supervisor Sondra Berg had this to say about the hoarding case:
“There’s a lot of feces and urine, the carpet is completely soaked throughout the house. This is only the beginning of a long process. If they don’t seek help for the illness that they have, then the recidivism rate is 97 percent, so we’re going to be back out here doing this again eventually. ”
Nancy’s neighbors were reportedly very glad to see the animal services workers arrive. Folks living near the animals which were alleged housed in unsanitary conditions were voiced concerns over possible health issues for humans in the neighborhood.
An unnamed neighbor had this to say about living near the Richling residence:
“Our yard is full of fleas right now, and the house, you’ll see fleas here and there. You’ll sit down and a flea will crawl up your arm. It’s a nightmare.”
Some of the rescued cats are feral, posing yet more neighbor concerns about health issues. Berg noted that she and her coworkers had to watch out for one another inside the home because the cats huddled in a fairly concentrated area and often jumped on the rescuer’s back and tried to attack their faces.
All of the cats and dogs taken from the California home will be given medical care at a local shelter and hopefully be available healthy enough for adoption in the near future.
