Putnam Resident Faces 17 Charges of Animal Cruelty

A 46-year-old Mahopac woman was endangering the welfare of a child by living with 17 cats, whose urine and feces covered the residence, officials say.

According to a Dec. 27 press release from the , the agency responded on Thursday to a report of "suspected animal hoarding" on Wood Road in Mahopac. Authorities found the home filled with cats, and say that their feces and urine caused an unsanitary living environment for a minor, as well as the animals.

"Often, it is the SPCA who is the first agency to intervene in these situations," the press release states. "It is not rare for animal cruelty and endangerment of the welfare of a child to be found in the same location. It is sad when either happens alone, but it does happen frequently."

Because of the nature of the incident and Child Protective Services' presence on the case, officials from the SPCA are not releasing the name of the defendant. She is facing one count of endangering a child's welfare and 17 counts of animal cruelty, all misdemeanors.

Authorities from the agency say that because the SPCA lacks funding for a facility, two not-for-profit rescue groups — Community Cats of Bedford and MidHudson Animal Aid of Beacon — have agreed to take the cats.