SCRANTON, Pa. — Police and animal control officers in Lackawanna County said "hordes" of starving cats were found abandoned at a home in North Scranton. To survive weeks of neglect, living cats cannibalized the corpses of dead cats, police said.
Two of the former residents of 508 West Market Street, Marvin and Cindy Frederick, have each been charged with 23 felony and 23 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty.
Their residence, which was in "deplorable" condition, was condemned by city inspectors. Griffin Pond Animal Shelter is helping provide shelter and veterinary care for more than two dozen cats, shelter officials said.
Ashley Wolo, the shelter's executive director, said the cats were in "very poor condition." Many were skinny and dehydrated.
The investigation began when a woman and her husband sought to buy the West Market Street property —a rental that had been vacant since early December, when Marvin and Cindy Frederick, the last tenants, left.
The smell of death, decay, and filth greeted them. It was so bad they could not enter.
The floors were thick with dirt, garbage, and feces, police said. The amount of ammonia in the air required law enforcement to wear protective coverings to safely go inside.
Starved and crying cats were taken from the home. The severity of their malnourishment suggested they survived weeks while deprived of food and water. They're being monitored for potential intestinal blockages caused by eating non-edible objects.
The bones of four cats stripped clean and still pink in spots also suggested the living cats were forced to eat their own to survive.
"These cats were not left with adequate food and water and, as a result, have suffered significant cruelty and sustained serious medical issues," police wrote in a criminal complaint.