A woman has been charged with 10 counts of animal torture after officials rescued more than 100 cats and kittens from her home in Crystal, Minnesota. After weeks of searching, authorities seized a total of 124 cats living in deplorable conditions. Unfortunately, several felines had to be euthanized due to various health concerns, including severe respiratory infections.
Woman faces charges after authorities rescue more than 100 cats from home
Per CBS, officers first visited Shawna Duffy’s home in January when her boyfriend discarded several bags of feces on a roadway. He admitted to illegally dumping them in Plymouth. Upon visiting the house, the police heard the sounds of several animals and encountered an extremely strong odor of cat feces and urine. This was followed by a visit from animal control, which reported a similar experience.
Animal Humane Society, animal control, and police joined hands to execute a search warrant on Feb. 27. They rescued up to 93 cats and three kittens after the initial search. Sadly, they also recovered a cat skull. City inspectors deemed the house uninhabitable, boarding it up for all.
The search continued into March, with authorities finding 19 more cats through the first week of the month. Officers found some cats living in spaces unfit for a feline, crawling into inaccessible spaces. All of them had developed respiratory infections. With animal hoarding being on the rise, officers stated that promptly reporting them is the best one could do.
Although they had to euthanize several of them, many seized cats also found their forever homes. Dozens of them were adopted by loving families that will give the felines a second chance at life.
The suspect, Shawna Duffy, isn’t in custody but is facing 10 counts of animal torture. She will be appearing in court on April 30, as per Fox9.
