golfmom
Former Member
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050521/ap_on_fe_st/dead_cats
Fri May 20,10:07 PM ET
EAST ORANGE, N.J. - An East Orange woman was charged with numerous health code and animal welfare violations after hundreds of dead cats were discovered rotting in garbage bags in the back yard of her home.
Marlene Kess, who has built a reputation in Manhattan as a caretaker of homeless and dying cats, had 48 cats inside her house, including 38 in one room, authorities said Thursday.
Out back, there were 200 vermin-infested cat carcasses stuffed into garbage bags and apparently were going to be buried in a large hole that recently had been dug, said Sgt. Joseph Bierman of the state's Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
The cats were discovered after neighbors complained about the stench.
"Oh my God, it was awful," said Michael Fowler, of the Associated Humane Societies. "The smell was horrible."
Kess, 56, is the founder and executive director of Kitty-Kind, which runs one of New York City's few no-kill shelters.
A longtime resident of Greenwich Village, Kess moved to East Orange in July. She is known for her efforts to find homes for sick cats.
"I take very good care of them," Kess told reporters Friday. "People who know me know there's no cruelty involved."
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Fri May 20,10:07 PM ET
EAST ORANGE, N.J. - An East Orange woman was charged with numerous health code and animal welfare violations after hundreds of dead cats were discovered rotting in garbage bags in the back yard of her home.
Marlene Kess, who has built a reputation in Manhattan as a caretaker of homeless and dying cats, had 48 cats inside her house, including 38 in one room, authorities said Thursday.
Out back, there were 200 vermin-infested cat carcasses stuffed into garbage bags and apparently were going to be buried in a large hole that recently had been dug, said Sgt. Joseph Bierman of the state's Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
The cats were discovered after neighbors complained about the stench.
"Oh my God, it was awful," said Michael Fowler, of the Associated Humane Societies. "The smell was horrible."
Kess, 56, is the founder and executive director of Kitty-Kind, which runs one of New York City's few no-kill shelters.
A longtime resident of Greenwich Village, Kess moved to East Orange in July. She is known for her efforts to find homes for sick cats.
"I take very good care of them," Kess told reporters Friday. "People who know me know there's no cruelty involved."
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