Woman had 200 dead and dying cats

A woman was sentenced to 15 years probation today on animal cruelty charges stemming from the discovery of nearly 200 dead and dying cats in her suburban house, according to a media report.

Lauri Lockwood, 47, pleaded guilty to one felony count and 145 misdemeanour counts of animal cruelty.

She was ordered to have no contact with animals and to allow unannounced inspections of her home, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Authorities found 146 dead cats and 26 alive ones in Lockwood’s home in February 2005. She had volunteered to keep the animals for an organisation that rescues them from shelters and tries to find them homes.

Assistant District Attorney Laura Janssen said some of the cats had been dead for six months and were found “on every single level, in every single room” of Lockwood’s house.

Janssen also asked the court for $25,000 restitution to cover the cost of treating the surviving cats, the newspaper reported.