WEST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A couple has been sentenced to three years' probation after 178 cats were removed earlier this year from an Oakland County home.
Jonathan and Jennifer Klein also were ordered Wednesday to pay more than $4,400 in restitution. They were charged in June with abandonment or cruelty to animals.
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The animals were found in April after an Oakland County animal control officer went to a home in West Bloomfield Township to perform a welfare check on cats there. Authorities called it the largest animal hoarding case in Oakland County history.
Many of the cats that were removed from the house had health issues including upper respiratory infections, fleas, skin infections, ear mites and malnutrition. Some of the cats gave birth after arriving at the shelter, officials said.
"This is the worst animal hoarding case I have seen in my entire career," Oakland County Animal Shelter and Pet Adoption Center manager Bob Gatt said. "These cats were living in deplorable conditions. They were not provided with the adequate care necessary to maintain good health."
At least 60 of the cats had to be euthanized because of severe illness or aggression.