Phoenix, Az. (KSDK) -- Authorities made a heart-wrenching discovery Thursday of 104 cats at an elderly woman's home 30 miles northwest of Phoenix.
Nine kittens were dead, found in several freezers, according to a veterinarian on the scene. The dozens upon dozens still living were so diseased, some without eyes, that they were euthanized at the rural home near Grand Avenue and Central Street in Wittmann.
Sheriff's Office: 'Cat hoarder' in Wittmann had 104 cats
The cats were in bad condition with diseases that could be harmful to humans, said Sgt. Matt Summers, who investigates animal crimes for the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.
The owner, Lucienne Touboul, 80, was taken to a hospital because authorities were concerned for her health. The veterinarian at the home, Dr. Nancy Bradley of the Arizona Humane Society, called it a "typical hoarding situation."
She added, "This is a bad one, but there's been worse."
The Humane Society characterizes animal hoarders as similar to those who hoard material items. Hoarding is a condition associated with mental illness.
"They (hoarders) honestly feel like they are helping those animals, but they're not," Bradley said. "I feel sorry for the owner of these animals and hope she gets the help she needs."
This was Touboul's second run-in with the Sheriff's Office over her cat hoarding.
About three years ago, the Sheriff's Office received complaints from nearby residents about 70 to 100 cats roaming around in bad condition, Summers said.
Touboul's one-story home, the yard littered with trash, is in the community between Surprise and Wickenburg. At that time, detectives found many of the cats blind and with ruptured corneas. A judge had ordered Touboul to give up all but a handful of the cats, Summers said.
The woman slowly complied, but in recent weeks, calls from concerned citizens began again.
When deputies with a search warrant arrived at the home Thursday, Touboul threatened to kill them if they touched her animals, authorities said.
Summers said she told deputies that "she enjoys when officers die."
Deputies and Humane Society workers were eventually able to enter the home, which had an overpowering stench of cat urine.
The woman was using paper instead of cat litter, which better absorbs ammonia, Bradley said.
Multitudes of cats were in all areas of the home, including prowling in cupboards.
Those cats had severe respiratory ailments, feline leukemia and other illnesses. All of the cats were euthanized and removed around 1:30 p.m.
Deputies found a lone dog outside the home that looked to be in good shape with water, food and shelter. The dog would likely remain with the woman if she returns home, Summers said.
Touboul is expected to face felony animal-abuse charges, Sheriff Joe Arpaio said.
He added that she is "too old and frail to see the inside of a jail cell."
Arpaio said that he asked deputies "to work with local agencies to provide her the help she needs, both physically and mentally."
Topic: Arizona cat hoarder: 104 cats found in woman's home (Read 1793 times)