FAYETTEVILLE -- A 72-year-old Fayetteville woman was arrested and jailed Thursday after animal control officers found 34 cats and a dog they said were being neglected inside her residence.
Morgan MacDonald, 72, of 6770 Hahndo Road in Fayetteville, was arrested in connection with aggravated animal cruelty and animal cruelty. She was released on her own recognizance from the Detention Center on Friday morning.
According to a preliminary report from the Washington County Sheriff's Office, the county's animal control service was contacted by a local veterinarian who said he had been treating cats for a woman, Ruth Francis, who lived at the Hahndo Road residence, but she had stopped having the animals treated. The animal control officer learned that Francis had died in October and that MacDonald was the sole beneficiary of her estate and was living at the residence.
The officers went to the residence Wednesday and spoke with MacDonald, according to the report. She told them that Francis had been running a feral cat rescue operation at the house and, after Francis died, she did not want to give up any of the cats "because it would have upset Ruth."
MacDonald allowed the officers to enter the house but only just inside the front door, according to the report, because "the house was very dirty and she didn't want us to see it in its current condition." The officers said there was a strong odor of urine and feces inside the house.
The officers said in the report they saw at least 10 cats, some of which looked "skinny and malnourished." Some of the cats also appeared to have mucus around their eyes and noses. The officers said they also saw a small dog that appeared to have an injury to one leg. They said there was no food or water visible. MacDonald reportedly said she had dumped out the food and water before the officers arrived but there were multiple cases of canned cat food in the house.
MacDonald said she would not allow the officers see the rest of the house until the next day. According to the report, she called the Sheriff's Office on Thursday morning and said she had changed her mind and would not allow the officers into the house.
The officers obtained a search warrant for the house and served the warrant around 1:30 p.m. Thursday. The officers found 34 cats and one dog in the residence. There were multiple bowls of water around the house and bowls of raw ground beef and shredded cheese. MacDonald reportedly told the officers the cats were fed the raw meat and cheese because they were on a grain-free diet. She also said there was curdled milk left out for the cats because they liked it.
The officers caught and removed 33 of the cats and the dog, according to the report. One cat could not be caught, and live animal traps were left in the house overnight. That cat was found in the house Friday morning. The animals were taken to the Washington County Animal Shelter where they were being treated. According to the report, 18 of the cats had upper respiratory infections and two of those also had feline immunodeficiency virus. The animals were also being treated for malnutrition and dehydration.