Dec 18, 2009: Chester Township sues cat hoarder for failure to pay removal costs
By Jim Lockwood/Photo: Frank H. Conlon
CHESTER TOWNSHIP -- A Chester cat hoarder who harbored dozens of cats in her filthy, feces-strewn million-dollar home is being sued by the township for failing to pay monthly payments toward the $22,000 restitution owed for the removal and care of the felines.
Wanda Oughton is named as the defendant in a lawsuit by Chester Township that was filed Wednesday and made public today in Superior Court in Morristown..." More
Aug 24, 2009: Chester Twp. tables cat-hoarding ordinance
BY ELLEN S. WILKOWE
CHESTER TWP. — A local ordinance that would have restricted the number of cats per single-family home to six has been tabled and the council will wait to see what happens with animal hoarding legislation that is before the state legislature.
"We did not want to create something to punish people," said Mayor William Cogger. "We want to create a method for intervention and are exploring other options.'
The township council had considered a preliminary ordinance, "Keeping of the Cats," that would have required residents obtain a waiver if they wished to own more than six cats over the age of six months. Pet owners in violation of the ordinance would have faced a $100 fine per animal, per offense.
The proposed ordinance came on the heels of a case in which 180 cats were found living in crowded, feces-covered conditions in a Farm Road home in March. The homeowner, Wanda Oughton, 62, has pleaded guilty to two counts of animal cruelty charges for failing to provide adequate shelter to the cats recovered from her million-dollar mansion..." More
The township council had considered a preliminary ordinance, "Keeping of the Cats," that would have required residents obtain a waiver if they wished to own more than six cats over the age of six months. Pet owners in violation of the ordinance would have faced a $100 fine per animal, per offense.
The proposed ordinance came on the heels of a case in which 180 cats were found living in crowded, feces-covered conditions in a Farm Road home in March. The homeowner, Wanda Oughton, 62, has pleaded guilty to two counts of animal cruelty charges for failing to provide adequate shelter to the cats recovered from her million-dollar mansion..." More
Jun 14, 2009: Hoarder in Million-Dollar Home Charged with Cruelty : 150 cats abused
By: Stephen Wells, Animal Legal Defense Fund
Illustrating that the roots of animal hoarding are pathological and not financial, approximately 150 cats were discovered in March 2009 at Wendy Oughton's million-dollar home in Chester Township, New Jersey. Ms. Oughton is now facing over 90 criminal charges of animal cruelty related to animal hoarding.
Jun 5, 2009: Morris County adoption events scheduled for 150 cats rescued from Chester home
'Cat lady' hearing delayed as North Jersey township seeks $42K in restitution for 150 cats removed from home
Municipal Court Judge Philip Maenza postponed Wanda Oughton’s court date to June 18 after her attorney, Lawrence Fox, received for the first time the expenses incurred for veterinary care, litter, food and other supplies related to getting a shelter up and running since the 150 cats were seized from her Farm Road home. The expenses total $42,650..." More
May 11, 2009: Morris County adoption events scheduled for 150 cats rescued from Chester House
CHESTER TOWNSHIP: When authorities began removing cats from Wanda Oughton's Chester Township home two months ago, the felines hid in the corners of pet carriers, their paws covered in their own feces.
Those cats -- about 150 of them -- had been living amid toxic piles of excrement in Oughton's $1 million house, and many of them never knew how it felt to be clean or even touched by a human, much less cuddled and coddled, said Ann DeSombre, animal control officer for Morristown..." More
April 23: Number of rescued Chester cats grows to 151
April 16: Outlook is bright for cats rescued from filthy Chester home
April 15: 71 more cats taken from Chester home of woman charged with animal cruelty
March 27: Chester Twp. woman accused of hoarding 93 cats faces animal cruelty complaints
