Owner Charged After 100 Cats Rescued From Montgomery County Homes

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — A Montgomery County woman has been charged with animal cruelty offenses after Animal Services Officers found over 100 cats and two rabbits between her North Potomac and Silver Spring residences.

Police said Louise Prince, 62, was charged with 128 animal cruelty offenses, one offense for each animal she had. Police said she kept 75 cats and a rabbit in her North Potomac home, and 50 cats and two rabbits in her Silver Spring apartment.

The investigation began on June 23, when Animal Services Officers were called for the report of a cat in distress at Prince's townhouse in the 12000 block of Sweetbough Court of North Potomac.

The responding officer found the cat was not in distress, but detected a strong odor of ammonia. The officer was concerned about the sanitary conditions inside the home, but no one answered the door, police said. The officer left a note with contact information and no reply was received.

SEE ALSO: Cats Rescued From Suspected Hoarding Situation In North Potomac

The officer was later able to contact Prince by phone. Prince allegedly told the officer she had eight cats in the home and that she was out of town, police said.

"An animal welfare inspection of the residence was arranged for Saturday, July 14. When the officer arrived for the inspection it was observed to be in overwhelmingly unsanitary and unsafe conditions," a police statement said.

Prince agreed to surrender the animals to the Animal Services Division for care at the Montgomery County Animal Services and Adoption Center in Derwood.

Inspectors from the Montgomery County Department of Housing and Community Affairs were contacted and the home was condemned as unfit for human habitation.

Over the next two weeks, Animal Services Officers removed 75 cats and one domestic rabbit from the North Potomac home.

"An examination by veterinarians at the MCASAC found that every animal was infested with fleas to such an extent that it overwhelmed the animals normal grooming behavior and that scratching was causing hair loss," police said.

Animal Services Officers were notified on July 25 that multiple animals were also being kept in "unsanitary conditions" at Prince's home on Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring, police said.

A search warrant was executed that evening, and officers removed 50 cats and two rabbits from the home. These animals were also infested with fleas and that scratching was causing hair loss, police said.

After proper treatment and care at the MCASAC, the animals’ conditions have improved and they are now engaging in normal grooming behavior.

“Admittedly, this was a difficult case from the outset. The barriers and conditions including flea infestation and unsafe air quality in the townhouse on Sweetbough Court presented extraordinary challenges to our officers, whose performance was extraordinary in their efforts to safely remove the cats from this home,” Animal Services Division Director Thomas Koenig said in a statement. “Now we are presented with the difficult challenge of adding 128 animals to our shelter operations, forcing us to make difficult choices based on limited resources.”

Officers with the Animal Services Division want the public to contact them at 301-279-8000 whenever there is concern about conditions and circumstances regarding animal housing or treatment. If an animal’s life is in immediate danger, it is appropriate to call the 9-1-1 emergency number.

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(Photo of Prince via MCPD)