Gresham cat hoarder sentenced to probation, community service, 5-year no-animal ban

Anne Saker

A Multnomah County judge has sentenced Terrianne Hess of Gresham to five years probation and other penalties for her conviction this week on 45 counts of animal neglect for keeping more than three dozen cats in her apartment.

Hess, 42, told Circuit Judge Eric Bergstrom on Thursday that she cared for the cats as best she could but "fell on hard economic times and was unable to give them quite what she thought they needed," said Assistant District Attorney Jacob Kamins, who prosecuted the case.

Neighbors complaining of the overpowering smell of urine called the Oregon Humane Society in August. The officers who responded found 38 skinny, flea-bitten cats surviving in Hess's 700-square-foot duplex. A two-inch layer of cat feces covered the floor. The bodies of seven dead cats were found inside and outside the apartment.

Wednesday, a six-person jury convicted Hess of all charges against her. A psychiatric evaluation before trial found that Hess suffers from obsessive-compulsive personality disorder with possible underlying psychosis.

In addition to the probation, Bergstrom sentenced Hess to 100 hours of community service and imposed a $5,000 fine. He also required her to undergo any psychological or psychiatric treatment as her probation officer recommends..." More