A woman in New York kept 67 dead cats in her freezer and another 99 living cats in her New York home.
The animals were seized this week by authorities as police condemned the house saying that it was unfit for human occupancy. According to the Washington Post , the 99 living cats were taken to a nearby animal shelter.
The Times Union reports that police are have not decided if they are going to charge Irene Vandyke, 50, with animal abuse yet.
Schoharie County Sheriff Tony Desmond said that police were called to the home after a neighbor complained about a foul stench. Desmond and his officers entered the home and found 67 dead cats stuffed into plastic bags in the freezer.
Desmond said that he felt sorry for the woman, who may have had her hoarding accelerated by the sudden death of her husband in 2010, but also said that he wanted to see Vandyke charged. Desmond will be meeting with the district attorney next week as authorities look into what caused the death of the animals in the freezer.
Desmond said:
“We felt sorry for her and bad for the kittens at the same time … I’d like to see her charged.”
Kerrie Colin, the manager of the animal shelter that will now take care of Vandyke’s 99 cats, said that she tried to help the woman in the past. Kerrie said that Vandyke refused help to take care of the cats.
Colin said:
“The minute anyone tried to take her cats, she freaked out and threw them off her property. She definitely had a hoarder mentality. She’s not a horrible person. She just needs help and counseling.”
Colin said that it will be a week or two before Vandyke’s cats go up for adoption.
[Image Via Mastasu ]