Brother-sister cat hoarding duo Wayne Dennis and Diane Dennis face animal cruelty charges

FLORIDA -- The alleged negligence of over 40 cats inside a Hernando-area home now has a brother and sister facing charges of animal cruelty.

Deputies and animal control officers with the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office began their investigation into a possible case of animal cruelty Wednesday morning at 4772 N. Redwood Lane, where homeowners Wayne and Diane Dennis told them about the roughly 43 cats living inside, according to arrest reports.

 

Diane Lee Dennis, 55, said none of the cats had got their rabies vaccinations or had regular veterinary appointments since they moved into the house in July from Marion County, bringing 40 cats with them. She added three cats had passed away recently.

Diane and her 50-year-old brother, Wayne, allowed authorities to go inside their house, where fleas, overflowing cat feces and noxious ammonia greeted them. Hazmat crews used numerous fans to aerate the home before investigations could continue, reports state.

  

 

“The odor of urine and feces in the residence was so strong it made it difficult to breathe,” wrote the responding deputy.

Cats scurried and hid while investigators navigated their way through garbage and feces. A deputy had to leave the house because she felt sick to her stomach, leaving animal control officers to finish and determine if the cats were to be removed, according to the reports.

Due to the siblings’s inability to treat the cats, along with the large amounts of feces and urine inside the house, officers would take all 42 living cats. Two cats, covered in fleas, were also found dead inside the home — one under a cabinet and one on Diane Dennis’ bed.

Diane Dennis said she didn’t know when the cat under the cabinet had died, or which cat it was.

A few minutes later, investigators found a second cat that had died, this one on Diane Dennis’ bed, officials said.

“It’s very sad,” Peckham said about the habitat shared by these ailing cats and their live-in owners.

Peckham said one cat had to be euthanized and six of those 42 cats had to be sent for immediate veterinary care — three of those six tested positive of feline AIDS, making it likely that other cats will test positive for the contagious disease.
 

“They were all in bad shape, but we pulled the ones who needed immediate care because they were dying,” she said.

The pair, who insisted they were rescuing the cats, asked if any of the animals would be returned to their care. Peckham replied it would be up to the State Attorney’s Office as well as the judge overseeing the case.

“They never acknowledged that there was a problem,” Peckham said about the siblings. “They still felt that they were rescuing those cats.”

In her interview with authorities, Diane Dennis said the cats were all fed dog food, and treated with flea medicine.

Wayne and Diane Dennis were later arrested on six misdeamnor counts of animal cruelty. Their bond was set at $6,000 each.

“We want to get the word to the community that Citrus County is not going to tolerate animal cruelty,” Peckham said.

Peckham added she’ll know more about the status of the 41 remaining cats as treatment continues, but she has a good feeling most of them will live on to be adopted and truly rescued.

“Even if they have a few hours or day with proper care, they end their life on a lot better note,” Peckham said. “There is a fate worse than death, and truly living in that home was a fate worse than death.”

(Citrus County Chronicle - Oct 3, 2015)