Majority of 99 cats found in home euthanized
LANSING – About 60 of the 99 cats recovered from a Lansing Township home last week have been euthanized and the investigation into the criminal case is nearing a close, officials said Monday.
The costs of the case are expected to exceed $10,000, officials said.
Officials removed 134 cats, at least 25 of which were dead, from the home in the 1700 block of Autumn Lane in Lansing Township Wednesday. Many of the surviving cats were in poor health after living in their own urine and feces for an unknown period of time, county Animal Control Director Andy Seltz said. The cats were exposed to high levels of ammonia released from the breakdown of their own urine.
Seltz said he plans to send a report to the Ingham County Prosecutor's Office this week that recommends criminal charges be filed.
"We're pushing for it," Seltz said of charges. "This is something you can't turn a blind eye to."
Amanda Lenore Price, 32, was taken into custody at the home Wednesday. While she has not been charged in the Lansing Township case, she faces a misdemeanor charge of animal abandonment or cruelty in connection with an incident in August of last year in East Lansing. Authorities allege she failed to adequately care for two or three animals in that incident. She was released from custody on a personal bond with a condition she not have pets of any kind.
Seltz said he hopes some of the surviving cats now being boarded at the shelter will be available for adoption by week's end. Several cats are "day-to-day" with conditions including ear mites, herpes, skin infections, respiratory infections and eye deformities, he said.
Both Lansing Township Police Chief Kay Hoffman and Seltz estimate the entire investigation could cost Lansing Township and Ingham County at least $10,000.
A two-person crew with masks went through seven oxygen tanks over a period of about seven hours to get cats out of the home in what Seltz described as a brutal scene, and veterinarian care and medicine has been a significant expense in the days since the incident.
"You went into a situation where there were multiple animals that didn't have a chance to leave," Seltz said. "It's depressing, it's an emotional roller coaster."
On Wednesday evening, the shelter was near capacity, Seltz said, after the animals were rescued. While the agency is encouraging adoptions of animals unrelated to the Lansing Township incident, to help free up space in the shelter, donations of "anything cat-related" or cash can be made to the shelter, 600 Curtis St. in Mason
The shelter is open noon to 6 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays; and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. For information visit ac.ingham.org or call (517) 676-8370. Or donations to the shelter can also be made at donateingham.org/icac.
The shelter's Adopt-A-Fest at Potter Park, a two-day event that started Friday, generated a record 27 cat adoptions and 31 dog adoptions.
Contact Eric Lacy at (517) 377-1206 or elacy@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @EricLacy.