WARRENTON, Ore. — Court documents show a woman who was arrested last week for hoarding 42 cats in a car might have known the animals were sick.
Kathryn Anne St. Clare, 58, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to 40 counts of animal neglect and one count of first-degree animal abuse, The Daily Astorian reported.
A police officer had found her and her car in a parking lot April 17. She had two warrants for her arrest out of Washington for 10 counts each of animal cruelty.
Officers found one of the 42 felines to be dead. St. Clare told police she accidentally ran over the cat and killed it.
Another cat has since been euthanized and two litters of kittens have been born since the arrest.
District Attorney Josh Marquis filed a motion seeking a higher bail amount in court because he said St. Clare knew the animals were sick.
St. Clare brought one of her cats to a clinic, where it was diagnosed with feline leukemia, police said. She admitted at that time her other cats likely had been suffering from leukemia as well, Marquis said.
Out of the seven cats that had been tested before the motion’s filing, five tested positive for leukemia.
Bayshore Animal Hospital Director Brad Pope said most of the cats will have to be euthanized.
“The outlook is pretty grim,” Pope said.
