Florida: 35 dead cats among 84 sick or injured animals removed from Stacie Daraio's condemned Port Orange home

FLORIDA -- A woman was hospitalized after more than 100 sick, injured or dead cats were removed from a Port Orange home, police said.

A report released Wednesday revealed 35 of the cats taken Jan. 5 and 6 from 5056 Riverside Drive were dead and 84 were sick or injured.

A small dog, a Yorkshire terrier mix, also was removed from the home as it was also in bad shape, Port Orange police said.

Stacie Daraio, the 49-year-old resident of the animal excrement-filled home, was taken into state custody under the Baker Act for a mental evaluation, according to a police report.

Officers had to use special breathing apparatuses because of the overwhelming smell of ammonia, according to the report. There were no food bowls in sight and five or six water dishes filled with dirty water.

A small bag of cat food on the floor contained two cats fighting over the last of the crumbs, police said. No dog food was found.

Officials deemed the home uninhabitable.

Editor's note: Daraio's first name, as provided in a Port Orange police report, was misspelled in an earlier version of this story.

(News Journal - Jan 12, 2017)