WANAQUE - Animal control officers found six cats dead and at least 30 others feeding off their carcasses in a Lily Road house that had been abandoned by its owner.The cats - some feral, some domesticated - were living without food and water and had taken over the house, leaving feces and urine in "every corner of every room," animal control officer Lisa Perry said."It was almost like a movie," Perry said. "I moved a piece of furniture, and seven large cats came running out of the back the couch." Cats were climbing inside the walls of the house as well, through holes that appeared to have been punched. Authorities have charged Arleen Desio, the owner of the cats and the home, with 35 counts of animal cruelty, a disorderly persons offense that carries a maximum fine of $1,000 and six months in jail. She may face more counts - Desio told authorities she may have kept as many as 48 cats."This is the worst one that I've seen," said Sgt. Ed Veronelli of the Passaic County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. "The house was an absolute mess. A good fire would probably be about the best thing for it."Neighbors said that Desio and her husband, Jay, had marital problems that prompted them to leave the house within the last two weeks. Police said they had responded to domestic violence calls at the house, nestled in trees at the top of a hill near West Brook Road, several times since 1999, when the couple moved in.Authorities and neighbors called Desio a "cat collector" who used traps around her house to snatch up strays.Wanaque has no ordinance limiting the number of cats a person can own, as long as they are all licensed. Desio had 11 cats licensed as of last year, Perry said.Animal control officers sent Desio a letter in January when they learned that many more cats lived in the house. After not being able to get in touch with the Desios, Perry went to the house last Thursday. She didn't see anything amiss when she peered in through a window.She checked again on Monday, and saw a dead cat in the house. Police accompanied her and forced their way in. They found that the gas and electricity had been turned off.What they saw was gruesome."The cats had been dead for some time. It was obvious that they were deceased for a few days," Perry said.Their bodies had been decomposing, and other cats were feasting on their remains. An unopened can of cat food sat atop a kitchen counter Thursday afternoon.The cats' runny eyes and noses indicated that they were all ill from upper respiratory infections. Perry was busy Thursday testing them for feline AIDS and leukemia, both very contagious among cats."Some of the deceased don't appear to have been starved to death. ... She didn't separate those that were ill from the others," Perry said.Perry, Veronelli, and SPCA Officer Larry Mandon were able to round up 25 cats on Monday using a net. They brought them to the Bloomingdale Animal Shelter, where extra cages were set up for the ailing cats.Since then, animal control officers found six additional cats but believe there may be several more. Some cats ran away at the sight of humans, while others may be roaming the forest behind the house. They pose a threat to other animals and humans in the neighborhood."It was a health risk for her also. There's always rabies," Perry said.A similar case in Ringwood surfaced last month when authorities found 34 dogs and puppies in a garage, kept in cages and covered in urine and feces. That case is pending in court, Veronelli said.Perry said the animal shelter will need extra money to nurse the cats back to health and provide them shelter.Donations can be mailed to the Bloomingdale Animal Shelter Society, 23 Brandt Lane, Bloomingdale, N.J., 07403.I have to do a follow up to this story.
