May 5, 2008 10:59 am US/Pacific
300 Cats Found Frozen Inside A Sacramento Home
SACRAMENTO (CBS) ―
Hundreds of dead cats have been found inside several freezers in a Sacramento home. Now investigators are trying to determine how they died.
Police say it was a 911 call that tipped them off to the frozen felines at a home on 19th Street near Meadowview.
Michael Parnell, who lives in the home, could face animal cruelty charges after 300 cats were found inside 3 different freezers.
"I'm shocked and disgusted and I can't believe this is happening in my neighborhood," a neighbor who did not want to be identified said. She also said she's seen cats peeking through the windows and living in a car and shed in the backyard of Parnell's home. And she's also found them dead in her own yard.
"I don't do well with dead animals so I had to call animal control to come out and deal with the dead cat. It's a little creepy to go out and find a dead animal in your backyard," the neighbor said.
She's reported the cat problem before but nothing had been done until this week. Officers checked on the house after receiving a 911 hang up call.
When police arrived, 46-year-old Parnell answered and wouldn't let them inside.
Officers then forced their way in and found Parnell's 86-year-old mother sitting on the couch and doing just fine. But what wasn't OK was the stench of 30 cats roaming the home.
"There was an excessive amount of animals in this one particular house. It was not in the best of shape," Sacramento Animal Control officer Pete Alarcon said. "There was a strong stench, a strong smell of feces and urine."
That's when officers discovered the 300 dead cats in the three freezers. The frozen cats are now at animal control as evidence.
"It's kind of disgusting, you know?," said another neighbor who did not want to be identified says he's even had the cats in his front yard. And they leave a mess. "All the time, I had to clean up and I didn't like that."
Now Michael Parnell has been arrested for resisting arrest. The next step in the investigation is to perform necropsies on the cats to determine if they were killed or died from natural causes. As for the 30 cats removed from the home, they are being checked out by a veterinarian and could be given up for adoption.
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