Friday, July 27, 2012

198 cats and three dog seized from a home



By Dedrick Russell

It was a discovery Iredell County Animal Control officers will never forget. They received a tip Angie Funderburk of Mooresville was hoarding animals.
Agents got a search warrant and found 198 cats and three dogs living in one home.
"Some have ringworm," Iredell County Animal Shelter Director Chris Royal said. "The smell of ammonia would knock you over. Officers had to keep coming out every 10 minutes while we were trying to catch the cats, just to get a breath of fresh air because the ammonia was burning our lungs and noses."
Animal Shelter tells me charges are now pending for Funderburk. The charge could be cruelty to animals.
"Just like any other hoarder," Royal said. "She says the animals were fine. She took care of her animals, that's what they all say. It's sad."
Neighbors say they were shocked at the news.
"198," Neighbor Shenee Wasmund said. "Oh my God, that's a lot of cats. That's crazy."
15 of the 198 cats will be put down. The county animal shelter has reached out to animal rescue shelters looking for some to take the cats, but those shelters are full.
Funderburk is used to animal control coming to her house. They came in May. They found 23 cats and the house was clean. Months later conditions got bad..."  More

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