Accused swindler in doghouse over animal abuse case

BY JOE KEMP

The woman accused of swindling thousands of dollars while promoting the Queens film industry last year was collared upstate last week for hoarding dozens of dogs she fraudulently obtained from local animal shelters, officials said.

Marie Castaldo, 52, was busted in the small town of Shandaken last Thursday with a stash of about 48 emaciated canines after a year-long investigation by the Ulster County SPCA, an official said.

"These poor dogs came to us in such bad shape," said UCSPCA executive director Brian Shapiro.

"I think [the shelters] were under the impression that [the dogs] were being rescued from being euthanized," Shapiro said. "They were scammed."

It was not immediately clear what Castaldo intended to do with all of the neglected pooches, but she was recently spotted selling some of the animals in the parking lot of a local supermarket.

"On the face of it, these were noble acts," Shapiro said of the efforts to sell the dogs to good homes. "But behind the scenes it was a nightmare."..." More

Joelle Kott, Pitstop Puppy's Dog Rescue & Boarding Kennel - Buffalo, New York

Jun 14, 2010: Woman faces charges of animal torture

• 
  
• by: Eli George

After a lengthy and detailed joint investigation involving the Niagara County Sheriff's Office, the Niagara County District Attorney's Office and the Niagara County SPCA, which included Veterinary Medical/Forensic personnel, Joelle R. Kott, was arrested on June 10, 2010 for 6 counts of violating the Agricultural and Marketing Law (Section 353 -Overdriving, torturing and injuring animals / failure to provided proper sustenance).

These charges are in connection to a complaint filed on January 29, 2010 in which it was alleged that Ms. Kott was inappropriately housing numerous dogs, at two separate locations in the Town of Wheatfield . On that same date Ms. Kott was charged with two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child. Ms. Kott will appear at the Town of Wheatfield Court to answer all of the above charges at a future date..." More

Jun 14, 2010: Facebook Page with updates and petition information

Description of group: Bringing to light a current situation in the Buffalo/Niagara area in NY.

Joelle R. Kott, owner of PitStop Puppy's Dog Rescue was raided on 01/29/2010 and 60+ dogs were seized total. Dogs were take from both her home and her kennels on suspicion of cruelty and neglect. The Niagara SPCA had promised not to euthanize the dogs. This is no longer the case with new directorship.

Though she has been charged for endangering her children and they have been removed from the home as well, the County of Niagara has NOT yet brought animal abuse/neglect/cruelty charges against Ms. Kott. Until we can be assured these dogs will be given every chance possible and charges are filed, we will be a voice for those who can not speak for themselves.

Please take the time to review the information under recent news. Please join us in being guardian angels for these dogs, keeping vigil over this situation to assure the promises made to them and us are kept. To each group member here, these are "our dogs", and we demand justice is served...." Facebook page link

Facebook photos

Video of conditions

Feb 16, 2010: Dog rescue may not have been able to care for so many animals

By Neale Gulley

Animal cruelty charges have not yet been filed against a Wheatfield animal rescuer who was arrested last month for child endangerment after 24 dogs in and around her home were found living in proximity to two children.

All but six of the dogs were seized for their own welfare and one was found dead. Another 22 animals were taken from Pitstop Puppys, the rented former kennel at 3049 Niagara Falls Blvd. run by Joelle Kott of Norman Road since 2004.

Niagara County Sheriff’s Captain Bruce Elliott said Monday that results of SPCA veterinarians’ examination of the animals are still pending. The report may or may not result in additional charges of neglect. SPCA personnel had documented freezing conditions at the facility along with a reported lack of food and water at both locations.

In the meantime, however, an initial report of the charges against Kott has piqued the interest of a psychologist with the ASPCA used to testify about the human/animal relationship in similar criminal cases and before animal rights organizations worldwide.

Dr. Randall Lockwood, senior vice president of the ASPCA’s forensic sciences and anti-cruelty projects said whether the distinction is one of animal cruelty, abuse or animal hoarding, the animals are the ones that suffer.

The “hoarding” concept is nothing new, he explained, but more importantly it helps explain a recent rise nationwide in cases involving shelters shut down for neglecting animals they can’t properly care for..." More

Feb 1, 2010: 47 dogs seized from alleged ‘hoarder’

By Denise Jewell Gee

Joelle R. Kott thought she was helping dozens of dogs she had taken in at Pitstop Puppy’s Dog Rescue and Boarding Kennel on Niagara Falls Boulevard, but Niagara County SPCA officials on Friday said the rescue operation grew beyond her ability to care for the animals.

Twenty-one dogs taken from the unheated kennel at 3049 Niagara Falls Blvd. on Friday were found in 30-degree temperatures with “bone dry” water bowls and living in their own waste, said Kari McAlee, an SPCA veterinary technician.

SPCA workers and deputies from the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office also took 18 dogs and puppies from Kott’s Norman Road home after determining the conditions were “deplorable” for the dogs and two children in the house.

“I think she meant well, but now it just got out of hand,” McAlee said. “She has just too many. You can’t keep track, and you can’t take care of that many, even with the volunteers and help. It’s just too much for one person and one house.”

Officials also took eight puppies they believe belonged to Kott from a nearby farm, said SPCA President Brandy Scrufari.

McAlee described Kott as an animal “hoarder,” unable to say no when she ran out of room and resources to care for pit bulls and other dogs dropped off by other people..." More

SPCA Officials: Dozens Of Animals Seized from Yaphank House of Filth

By Mona Rivera

Dogs, cats, birds and even horses were rescued Wednesday from a squa

lid home on Long Island, SPCA officials said.

Suffolk County SPCA workers said they found the animals living in a stench filled, filthy home on Park Street in Yaphank.

The house had several sheds in the back, where many of the animals were literally living on top of each other, officials said. Rescuers found goats, 40 dogs and 3 horses on the property, 1010 WINS' Mona Rivera reports.

The dogs were malnourished and abused, SPCA officials told Rivera.

People were coming to the defense of the homeowner Deborah Miller, who, according to her Web site (Herding Dog Rescue) , runs an animal rescue out of her ranch-style house. Friends said she takes animals in, rehabilitates them and then adopts them out.

SPCA officials said the animals were abused regardless if the home is an animal rescue or not..." More

Hoarding Problem at West Village Apartment

Tenants of one beautiful West Village building say they feel like hostages in their own homes because of what's going on inside this one apartment on the 3rd floor.

A Fox 5 camera went in that apartment recently. It turns out that a hoarder, a woman with obsessive compulsive disorder, according to court papers, took over the apartment of an elderly tenant, and filled it with junk.

Rotting food, and bags of soiled cat litter were hidden everywhere. The apartment had been like that since about 2004. The situation went on for years and ended up in court, Barbara Nevins Taylor reported.

Compulsive hoarding may affect up to 2 million people in the United States, according to Hartford Hospital. It is a common and potentially disabling problem, characterized by the accumulation of excessive clutter to the point that parts of one's home can no longer be used for their intended purpose..." More & video

Woman Faces Animal Cruelty Charges

by: Kristin Lowman

In Albany County, a Town of Colonie woman is facing animal cruelty charges.
Police and Humane Officers say they found more than 50 cats inside her home, called there after neighbors complained about the animals' conditions.

The Mohawk & Hudson River Humane Society says in early April, concerned neighbors called the Town of Colonie Police Department about the cats at 3 John Street.

On April 14th, Colonie Police and a Humane officer went to the home at 3 John Street owned by Margaret Tomko. The Humane Society says Tomko didn't want to cooperate initially, but eventually agreed to voluntarily surrender her animals. That day, the Humane Society says they seized 45 cats from the home.

Colonie Animal Control officers removed another 6 cats from the residence the following day and an additional cat was temporarily housed at a local veterinarian, for a total of 52 cats.

Humane Society officials also confirmed Tomko gave 14 additional cats to a local animal rescuer the day before police arrived because she had heard the police might be coming to her home...

...Shear says Tomko's case is an example of "animal hoarding". Shear says people keep more animals than they are able to care for them, but are unaware of their living conditions.

Tomko faces 5 counts of animal cruelty. In addition, Shear says he would like to see Tomko get additional counseling to make sure this behavior doesn't happen again..." More & video

Will Rescues in NY be Regulated?

New York Assembly Member Micah Z. Kellner has now introduced an amended version of A9449 still called Oreo's Law after the dog euthanized by the ASPCA last November. After months of care and evaluation, the dog was determined to be "unpredictably aggressive," biting even caregivers.

The senate version is S6412 sponsored by state Senator Thomas K. Duane. The bill, A9449/S6412, would amend the Agriculture and Markets Law, Section 374 by adding a new subdivision 9, that would require public shelters to release animals to any "nonprofit, as defined in section 501(c)(3) of the internal revenue code, animal rescue or adoption organization" that requests possession of them. The facility holding the animal would still collect the required spay/neuter deposit and could also assess a fee not to exceed the standard adoption fee....

...The bill, however, does not require the non-profit to meet any criteria to establish they are "responsible" or "reputable" organizations.

A 501(c)(3) status is simply an IRS designation meaning it is tax-exempt and donations are generally tax deductible. It has nothing to do with the quality of the operation and care provided.

This bill ties the hands of shelters to keep animals from known abusers or institutional hoarders that may not have been convicted of particular "statutes" or are not currently facing charges, or those rescues that cannot provide adequate shelter, food, water, veterinary care, and socialization or training, if required, and safe handling.

It would be easy, for example, for the hoarder or abuser to take the title of "manager" and not an officer or Board position and thus a public shelter would still be required to give animals to the organization. Imagine if the organization has employees who are felons or who have been convicted, cited or investigated for animal cruelty! Animal control would still be required to turn over animals to the organization on demand.

Also, it is not clear why the proposed amendment would be limited to "statutes" instead of all animal protection and animal fighting laws including ordinances and regulations.

It is notoriously difficult to obtain citations or charges, let alone prosecutions and convictions for animal cruelty, animal fighting and animal protection laws. It is also difficult for an animal control agency to find out about such charges or convictions that have occurred in other states or even other counties. In some cases animals may be seized and impounded because of cruelty or neglect but charges never pursued. In other cases charges may not be filed in return for transfer of ownership of the animals or permission to keep the animals on the property while they are given care and placed for adoption.

In the FLOCK case, for example, charges of animal cruelty were not filed for nearly a year after the animals were seized. Under Kellner's bill, public shelters would have been required to continue to release animals to that organization until charges were filed! There are a number of circumstances under which an organization may be a hoarder or operate a seriously substandard facility but not face charges or have a conviction...." More

Courtney Cotter & Kevin Pierce - New York

Feb 12, 2010: Microchips help SPCA find 100 animals in trailer

Tiny microchips played a big part in the recent animal cruelty investigation by the SPCA of Tompkins County where 100 animals were seized from a trailer near Ithaca.

Six of those pets had microchips implanted, so once investigators heard the beep they contacted the original owners.

“Not only in two of these cases did it reunite two animals back to their starting point but it also gave us some background as to how these defendants got these animals,” said Tompkins County SPCA Director Abigail Smith

Those tiny clues can go a long way in such a large investigation..." More

Feb 11, 2010: CHARGES FILED IN BROOKTONDALE SEIZURE

2 people are arrested for animal abuse after hoarding 100 animals in their one bedroom mobile home.

Courtney Cotter and Kevin Pierce, both of 18 Creamery Road in Brooktondale, were charged Wednesday in Town of Caroline Court.

They are facing 39 counts of overdriving, torturing and injuring animals.

And 39 additional counts of failure to provide proper sustenance, food, and water.

The Tompkins County SPCA seized the dogs, cats, guinea pigs, rats and chinchillas on January 27th, after concerned citizens led them to the trailer.

Rescuing the animals has cost the Tompkins County SPCA more than $30,000.

The SPCA is asking for financial donations to help cover the increase medical and staffing expenses.

So far, seven cats, one rat, eleven dogs and three chinchillas have been adopted.

Feb 3, 2010: SPCA SEIZES 100 PETS

"...After a group of concerned citizens led humane investigators to a mobile home in Brooktondale.

"The conditions inside were obviously pretty far from ideal there were some sanitary concerns, there were also concerned for animals not having access to food and water," said SPCA Humane Investigator Cate Walker.

That's where these cocker spaniels, and 98 other pets were found, in a crowded, one-bedroom trailer.

Including dogs, cats, guinea pigs, chinchillas, rats and several other dead animals.

The owner was a self-proclaimed animal rescuer...." More

	Tompkins County SPCA Adoption: 2-4-10
	Tompkins County SPCA seizes animals: 2-3-10

100 ANIMALS SEIZED FROM HOME

The Tompkins County SPCA Humane Investigators removed 100 animals from a residence in Brooktondale.

Investigators found animals in unsanitary conditions in the overcrowded one bedroom home.

The SPCA says the individual in the home self-identified as an animal rescuer. 100 animals including dogs, cats, rats, guinea pigs and chinchillas were taken into custody by the SPCA, including several animals found deceased on the property.

As of today, 59 animals have been signed over to the SPCA and are being made available for adoption as medical and behavioral health is established.

The remaining animals are being held as the SPCA’s investigation continues..." More

Sharon McDonough: Concentration Camp - New York

Jan 19, 2010: Mom in NY pet torture case hit with new charges

A New York woman accused of forcing her children to torture household pets and burying dozens of animals in her backyard has been indicted on charges of child endangerment, animal cruelty and animal torture, according to court records released Tuesday.

Sharon McDonough, 43, is scheduled to be arraigned on the upgraded charges Thursday in Suffolk County Court in Riverhead, on Long Island. Her attorney said she will plead not guilty.

A court Web site lists 12 new charges against the mother of seven. Six of the counts are for endangering the welfare of a child, all misdemeanors; she also faces two counts of felony aggravated cruelty to animals and four misdemeanor counts of torturing or injuring animals..." More

Dec 18, 2009: Sharon McDonough Held On $100,000 Bail For Suspected Pet Torture

A judge ordered a New York woman held on $100,000 bail Friday after prosecutors cited evidence that some of the 42 dead animals buried in her yard had been tortured, with duct tape around their mouths or signs that they had drowned.

Sharon McDonough, 43, had been free without bail after her November arrest on misdemeanor charges, but she was taken away in handcuffs after her appearance Friday in Suffolk County Court in Central Islip.

McDonough faces "the likelihood of a felony indictment," said John Cortes, assistant district attorney. Authorities initially found 20 dogs buried behind her Selden home in early November; a subsequent search Dec. 8 uncovered another 22 dead animals.

Necropsies found evidence the animals had been abused, Cortes said.

"There are indications this defendant did kill these animals," District Judge Paul Hensley said in setting bail. "I believe the impulse to flee will become irresistible."..." More

Nov 9, 2009: LI Mom Accused of 'Concentration Camp' For Dogs

Police Make Horrific Discovery in Selden Woman's Backyard After Tip to Rescue Group; Bags Taken Out 'By The Dozen'

On Long Island, a Suffolk County mother is facing charges for alleged cruelty to animals, and they could be upgraded to felony charges.

In an eerie scene Saturday night, investigators found a backyard burial ground, with the remains of at least 20 animals, behind the woman's house. The remains were brought out in black plastic bags.

Authorities first found several dogs that were alive, despite being crammed into small cages and found without food or water.

"Some of them in deplorable condition, skin and bones," Chief Roy Gross, of the Suffolk County SPCA, said.

In addition to the dogs, one cat, along with a hamster and a parakeet, were rescued. They were found in the home of 43-year-old Sharon McDonough of Selden, who faces misdemeanor animal cruelty charges.

That kicked off an investigation that eventually led to the backyard. What authorities found behind the home may lead to felony charges.

"Going into this was like a house of horrors," Gross said. "This is one of the worst cases of animal abuse I have seen in the last 25 years I have been doing this."

Based on a tip, the back yard of McDonough's home was dug up. It's looked like a gravesite and smelled like death, according to neighbors. Officials discovered 20 animal carcasses buried behind the home, which were carried away in trash bags, dogs suspected of being tortured and killed.

"It looked like a real murder scene, as if they were gonna pull out dead bodies out there," neighbor Andrea Martinez said. "The smell was unbearable. They were taking bags out by the dozen. It was crazy."

The person who allegedly blew the whistle on McDonough was her eldest son, Douglas.

"It was a concentration camp for the animals," Douglas McDonough said. "And my sisters and me, we got the end of it, too."

The son says he was forced to torture the animals.

Now, investigators are looking into complaints about animals disappearing from the neighborhood, and allegations that McDonough tortured, killed, and buried them behind her house.

"Numerous people have called and said pets are missing – a couple dozen calls like that," Gross.

One family says their dog and two cats have been missing, and they fear that the pets may be part of the terrible discovery.

"I'm really concerned about that – that everyone lose animals and they're just buried in the backyard," said neighbor Nicholas Dinubila.

With a car in front of the house, that's now been pelted with eggs, and police tape still up, neighbors express concern.

"We had no idea, didn't hear a thing, and I've lived right next door," one neighbor said. "That's what scares me."

Once autopsies on the dead animals are completed, if aggravated animal abuse can be determined, McDonough could face felony charges..." More

And Multiply That by Nine Lives Apiece …

By ANDY NEWMAN

With the regularity of exploding manholes, cases of cat-hoarding crop up in the news. On Monday, workers from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the city’s Animal Care and Control agency, summoned by a neighbor’s complaint, went to a one-bedroom apartment in East New York, Brooklyn, where two cats Kima Graham adopted five years ago had somehow managed to produce 33 more.

So who are these cat ladies, and why do they choose to accumulate cats rather than, say, old newspapers or bobblehead dolls?

They are indeed women more often than not, psychologists say. But the stereotype of the obsessive-compulsive cat lady — surrounded by filth and sickly cats and unable to recognize the harm she is doing them — does not always hold true, and in Ms. Graham’s case, it did not. Ms. Graham, 53, took reasonably good care of her cats, admitted she was overwhelmed by their demands and was glad to be relieved of all but two of them, said Allison Cardona, the A.S.P.C.A.’s director of operations for field investigations, who was at the apartment. (The cats need homes. If you want to adopt one, contact the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals.)

Stephanie LaFarge, a psychologist with the A.S.P.C.A., said that in fact, there were many different kinds of cat hoarders. There is the classic obsessive-compulsive who collects animals to create a universe she can control; the commercial breeder whose inventory-control mechanisms go awry; the once-robust cat owner who becomes infirm or demented and can no longer herd her brood.

Dr. LaFarge said that the authorities needed to do a better job recognizing the causes of hoarding and getting help for hoarders — there was a foundation-financed New York City hoarding task force a few years ago, but its money dried up, she said — and that society as a whole needed to become as upset about dozens of cats being kept in unhealthy conditions as it did about, say, a man kicking a single dog around an elevator.

“We tend to go blank when it’s 25 or 50 or 75 animals as opposed to a single animal that’s suffered,” Dr. LaFarge said. “It’s behavior, that, whether it’s intended or not, harms a lot of animals.” More

Jan 19, 2009: Sufferin' cats! 35 in 1 apt.

Maybe the mice can finally get back to playing.

Animal-care agents found an eye-popping 35 cats in a one-bedroom Brooklyn apartment yesterday after their crowded-out and increasingly cash-strapped owner broke down and begged for help, the agents and the cat lady said.

"I'm bringing [them] food like crazy," said the exhausted woman, Kima Graham, 53. "It was costing me a lot of money. I didn't want to throw them out in the street. Everyone in the complex has a kitten from me." More

Animals, children removed from filthy home

By Michelle Kearns

The stench of animal waste coming from a Cheektowaga home led to the arrest of a woman with almost a decade-long record of animal hoarding, authorities said Wednesday.

Police discovered 19 cats, a dog and a fish Tuesday evening in the house on Royal Palm Drive. Three children in the house at the time were taken to an aunt’s house, Cheektowaga Police. Lt. Jim Speyer said.

Linda Roehre, 48, was charged with child endangerment and animal cruelty, both misdemeanors.

The house, in a neighborhood east of Dick Road and south of Genesee Street, was condemned, Speyer said. It had holes in a wall, and its floors were warped by urine and littered with cat feces.

The state Office of Child and Family Services was contacted, he added. When police arrived, three of four teenagers in the family were watching television in the house, which was dark, had no heat and little food.

“Our concern is for the kids,” Speyer said. “We want to make sure the kids have a decent place to live.”..." More

35 Animals Seized From Condemned Caton Home

Katherine Underwood

CATON --- A little over a week ago, SPCA officers received a complaint of animals living in very poor conditions at a home in Caton. When they got to the house on October 23rd, poor conditions seemed like an under-statement. The officers found 29 dogs and six cats living in their own feces and urine. Some of their coats were so severely matted, the animals could hardly move, so they had to be completely shaved. Nine dogs were euthanized. 13 dogs and six cats went to the Finger Lakes SPCA and the Chemung County SPCA took in the remaining seven dogs. Those dogs were groomed, and SPCA officials say right now, they're in much better shape. “It’s heartbreaking for us here at the SPCA, we feel for all the animals when they come in like this,” said Jaclyn Pfaehler-Welles with the Chemung County SPCA. “We can’t believe that someone willingly or unwillingly would put these animals in this condition.” The seven dogs at the Chemung County SPCA will be up for adoption within the next this week..." More & video For more information on adoption, Click Here.

Woman charged with animal cruelty

8 pets neglected, 1 dead, in 'uninhabitable' apartment of woman arrested in case

By ANDREA VanVALKENBURG

PLATTSBURGH — Police say they found one dead animal and several others starving inside a Plattsburgh apartment Tuesday afternoon. Plattsburgh City Police were called to Janie E. Abernathy's home after someone reported the alleged abuse. When officers arrived, police say, they found seven cats and a dog living in deplorable conditions, with fleas and feces covering the residence. One cat was found dead. Police believe the animals had not been fed in several weeks and were confined to the Lakeside Apartments residence at all times..." More

ASPCA Leads Intervention To Save 25 Dogs In NYC Hoarding Case

Last month, the ASPCA, NYC Animal Care & Control and the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals worked with local police to rescue 25 dogs from an animal hoarder in Queens, NY. For years, neighbors complained about the stench and noise, but it wasn’t until a neighbor had enough and contacted a city official about the “increasing number of animals.

According to the ASPCA, after the three animal groups worked out an official intervention, the hoarder, a man in his 50’s, voluntarily gave up the dogs.

The dogs breeds were Beagles, Miniature Pinschers and the mix of both breeds. They were suffering from an array of medical conditions and four of the dogs were pregnant.

Allison Cardona, ASPCA Director of Disaster Response stated, “Hoarding situations are complex and depending upon a number of factors, including the mental health status of the hoarder, they may or may not be referred to the criminal justice system. It is vital that authorities be notified of hoarding situations so that steps can be taken to ensure the protection of the animals. This kind of problem will not go away by itself. It will only get worse. That is why people need to speak up!”

She continued by saying, “Like many psychological conditions, there are probably multiple underlying causes for animal-hoarding behavior. These are not situations that can or should be handled by animal welfare agencies alone.”

The dogs are being cared for by shelters and the ASPCA. They have never been socialized, walked on a leash or exercised.

Image courtesy of ASPCA

Woman faces 50 counts of animal cruelty

Accused of keeping cats in deplorable conditions

• Rich Newberg

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - News 4 is learning more about a woman accused of keeping more than four dozen cats in deplorable conditions.

Joanne McGrath says she was giving food and shelter to sick and abandoned cats that nobody wanted or cared about. She pleaded not guilty to fifty counts of animal cruelty.

McGrath said, "I was only trying to do good for animals. I'm not the kind of person they're portraying me to be."

But the SPCA says it had to rescue forty-nine cats and a dog from squalid conditions, both in McGrath's Saint Francis Animal Sanctuary on Sayre Street in Buffalo, and her home on Arkansas Street...." More & Video

Additional video: Animal Hoarding defined

August 17, 2009: Woman who hoarded cats charged with 50 counts of cruelty

The operator of a pet sanctuary in a feces-littered apartment on Sayre Street where 32 cats were removed on Aug. 6 was charged today with 50 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty.

Joanne C. McGrath, 55, of Arkansas Street, faces up to a year in jail or a $1,000 fine, or both, if convicted on the charges. McGrath is scheduled to appear on the charges Friday morning in Buffalo City Court, according to Gina Browning, a spokeswoman for the SPCA Serving Erie County.

A week after animal rescue workers from the SPCA removed 32 cats from a rear apartment at 33 Sayre St. in the city's Riverside neighborhood, where McGrath operated St. Francis Pet Sanctuary, rescue workers seized 17 cats and a puppy from McGrath's Arkansas Street apartment.

"She signed over the cats that were seized from the Sayre Street property," Browning said Monday. "So, right now we own 32. She didn't sign over the ones from her residence, but they're still in [the SPCA's] custody."

Two of the 17 cats removed from McGrath's Arkansas Street apartment were near death at the time the SPCA seized them and were later euthanized, Browning said.

"We're dealing with the 32 cats seized from Sayre Street on a case-by-case basis, but it looks like they all will survive," Browning added..." More