Some local News- 192 cats removed from waste-filled trailer home

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192 cats removed from waste-filled trailer home
Source: The Winchester Star

Stephens City — Frederick County officials have found 192 live cats and seven dead ones in a mobile home.
They said Wednesday that the home contains so much cat waste and cat hair that it will probably be demolished.
Linda L. McLaughlin, 58, owner of the cat-filled double-wide trailer in Forest Lake Estates, could face charges of animal cruelty and animal neglect, according to Sheriff’s Office Major Robert Eckman.
It’s not clear how long she kept the cats in her home.
Eckman said officers expected to find around 40 cats in the small home after receiving complaints about the conditions there.
The truth was five times worse.
He described the interior of the trailer as “horrendous” and said it was the worst such case he had ever seen.
“I’m told the bathtub was filled to the brim with [soiled] cat litter and cat hair,” Eckman said. “The ammonia smell was so strong, our officers could hardly walk in there.”
Deputies notified Frederick County Public Works about the home Tuesday, and Eckman said it will almost certainly be condemned.
“Every time you turned over a piece of furniture, 10 to 30 cats would come running out from under it,” he said.
Two officers were bitten by cats while removing them from the home and had to be treated for minor injuries.
McLaughlin was not present when her cats were confiscated. Eckman said she has been hospitalized in Prince William County since Friday.
He said the sheriff’s office was told about the cats by a health-care worker, and had received complaints from the Forest Lake Estates administration.
Eckman said the animals living in McLaughlin’s home also showed the effects of neglect and inhumane conditions.
Many were visibly afflicted with mites and had apparent eye infections, and numerous animals had patches of fur missing, he said.
The cats are being housed in the county’s Esther C. Boyd Animal Shelter, where they are being quarantined to prevent the potential spread of diseases to the other animals.
Officials at the animal shelter declined to comment on the eventual fate of the cats.
Eckman said any charges against McLaughlin would be determined by the commonwealth’s attorney.