According to Sheriff Mike Robinson, when deputies arrived with a warrant to search the home around 10 a.m. Friday, they discovered animal urine and feces all over the home. At least 40 cats and two dogs were found at the property on Valley View Drive.
Earlier reports indicated 41 cats were discovered.
The odor of cat urine could be smelled several feet from the home. Robinson said ammonia levels in the home were far above normal, and humane society workers had to wear respiratory masks to enter the home.
"It's bad. Very bad," said Wesley Greve, captain of investigations for the Sheriff's Office.
The cats were found to be suffering from upper respiratory problems and were underweight, said a spokeswoman for the Nebraska Humane Society, which removed the cats, including one that was dead, from the home.
Kristie Biodrowski said all but four of the 40 cats had to be euthenized due to poor health.
Three of the four remaining cats appear to be kittens, Biodrowski said.
The dogs had fleas but were allowed to stay with the animals' owners.
Robinson closed the home, calling it "non-inhabitable." Members of the Fort Calhoun Volunteer Fire Dept. aired the home out after the animals were removed.
Yellow sheriff tape was cordoned around the property late Friday afternoon.
Robinson would not release the names of the couple who own the animals, but according to records and neighbors, Clifford M. Gray and Juanita K. Gray live in the home at 11453 Valley View Drive. The home is listed under the name F.S. Long in the Blair phone book.
Robinson said the owners of the animals could be charged with 41 counts of animal neglect. Washington County attorney Shurie Graeve said Monday morning she had not seen reports on the matter yet.
The raid came as no surprise to neighbors around the home.
"I'm glad they did something. People are tired of it," said Jason, a neighbor who gave only his first name.
The cats often looked sickly, he said, and were always roaming the neighborhood, hiding in his garage, boat and camper, and ruining his bushes.
"It was never-ending," he said.
Another neighbor, Rich Manly, said the cats were a nuisance to many of the residents near the home. The sheriff, Animal Control and the Nebraska Humane Society were called several times but neighbors were told those services didn't have jurisdiction or could do nothing about the problem.
Manly watched the animals being removed and was told that there were cats in the attic and the ceiling, and many were kittens.
Several cats were spotted on the property about five hours after the raid.
"I'd guess there's about 10-15 left," Manly said. He said he might try to catch some of them to take to the Humane Society.
In 2005, Clifford and Juanita Gray were found guilty on two counts of animal cruelty after 33 cats, two dogs and a pot-bellied pig were found on the home's premises.
Twelve of the 36 animals were euthanized.
Each served a day in jail and one year of probation on the charges.
Additional counts of animal cruelty and child neglect were dropped in the 2005 case. The couple's 17-year-old child lived in the home at the time.
In 2006, Juanita Gray's probation was revoked when several cats were found on the property.
(Pilot-Tribune - July 20, 2009)
