GEORGIA -- A Columbus cat owner was charged after authorities found three of her eight malnourished pets dead and covered in maggots and fleas, according to testimony Friday in Recorder’s Court.
Amanda Propst, 25, faces three counts of animal cruelty. She was awarded own recognizance bonds totaling $15,000.
Judge Julius Hunter waived the case to State Court.
Officer Cody Wayne with Columbus Animal Control was called to the 6500 block of Milgen Road around 8:55 p.m. Aug. 21 to investigate what he described as one of the craziest animal cruelty cases he’s seen. The neighbor reported it.
Wayne said officials located eight malnourished domestic short-hair cats covered in maggots and fleas inside of an apartment that was also covered in fleas.
Animal Control said three of those pets starved to death. One appeared to have been dead for more than two weeks while the others appeared to have been dead for about two days, authorities said.
Wayne said one of the dead cats was tangled in the blinds, another was behind the washing machine and the third was on the fire mantle. Cat feces was all over the residence, authorities added.
Wayne said the homeowner lived with her boyfriend and daughter at another location, and she left the cats alone in the Milgen Road apartment. She was accused of neglecting them for at least two months, but CLAIMED to authorities that she would return to the residence once a week to feed them.
“I collected four, two kittens and two calico adult cats,” Wayne said. “One Siamese I couldn’t catch, so that one was still left in the house.”
Wayne said Propst relinquished ownership of four of the five pets that were found alive. She grabbed the fifth cat, and Animal Control allowed her to keep it.
“I gave her the option, because three of her cats were dead,” he said. “She cared about these cats because she was crying and boohooing, wishing her cats weren’t dead. Sucks that it took her that long to notice.”
(Ledger Enquirer - September 1, 2017)
