Sunday, August 16, 2015

Bonney Lake resident, Jerilyn Fikse, charged with animal cruelty after abandoning her cats to die

WASHINGTON -- Five dead cats were found starved and dehydrated in a Bonney Lake motor home last March.

The owner of the motor home, Jerilyn Fikse, was charged Aug. 4 with first-degree animal cruelty.

According to charging papers, officers learned of the motor home when the manager of the RV park it was located in called police to report seeing a dead cat through the window.

The manager told police he had not seen Fikse for roughly a month and decided to check on the cats. Rent on the space was also overdue and the manager was considering towing the motor home.

Officers were already familiar with Fikse because of previous calls regarding animal hoarding and neglect.

After obtaining a search warrant and attempting to contact Fikse, officers entered the motor home through an unsecured window and found a total of five dead cats strewn around the area.

Charging papers described the motor home to be in significant disarray, with empty water and food bowls and cat feces littering most surfaces.

One cat was still alive and was brought to a veterinary hospital, where it was determined the cat was 12 percent dehydrated.

According to charging papers, 12 to 15 percent dehydration is fatal.

The cat also had a low white blood cell count, elevated kidney function and elevated sodium and total protein, all of which the vet determined was caused by dehydration and malnutrition.

Because of the poor results from the blood test, it was decided to euthanize the cat instead of pursuing a treatment plan.

When officers were eventually able to contact Fikse, she said her husband had died and she was left with a lot of problems.

Fikse also told officers she had been to the motor home about a week and a half earlier, but could not give an exact date.

Animal cruelty in the first degree is a class C felony, punishable by five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.

Fikse is to appear in court on Aug. 18.

(Courier Herald - Aug 11, 2015)

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