110 Cats Leave Family Knee-Deep in Poop, Trouble

101 Dalmatians was a cuddly Disney film, but 110 cats is an entirely different matter.

Five adults have been charged with felony child endangerment after police found two little girls living with them and 110 cats in a urine- and feces-filled home.

Authorities said Wednesday that several of the residents' feet were caked with animal feces and the house was also overrun by fleas, roaches and flies.

The defendants are Sharon Lynn Howe, 65, and her husband, John Ed Howe, 68, along with her daughter Kerri Lynn Howe Moreno, 44, and son-in-law Jessy Moreno, 41, and granddaughter Courtney Lynn Howe Perez, 23.

Sharon Howe and Perez are charged with an additional felony count of animal cruelty after allegedly obtaining many of the cats from animal shelters under the pretense of operating a rescue organization to find them permanent homes. The two women were accused of abusing the felines by keeping them in an unsanitary environment and failing to provide proper food, water and medical care.

"I'm sure their hearts were in the right place, but ... that's not a sufficient defense," Deputy District Attorney Aleta Bryant told City News Service.

The case unfolded in February, after Santa Ana police and Animal Services officers received complaints from neighbors about foul odors emanating from a home in the 2000 block of South Baker Street. Outside the house, officers encountered intense smells of urine and feces, and saw live and dead flies around the windows and doors.

They entered the home wearing paper masks, but left after just a few minutes because the stench made them feel ill, prosecutors said. They returned wearing full hazmat gear.

Authorities said one of the children at the house slept on a living room couch, surrounded by cats. The other girl allegedly slept in a bedroom under similar conditions. At least one girl had caat scratches on her arms and legs.

When officers arrived, two of the adults had cat feces caked on their feet from walking barefoot in the home, according to a press release from the District Attorney's office.

After authorities warned that the girls, ages 6 and 12, could be taken into protective custody, the Morenos found alternative housing.

Over the course of multiple hours, the officers captured 110 cats inside the home, many of them feral. More than 20 had to be euthanized, officials said.

Half of the cats suffered serious upper respiratory infections, 25 percent had ear mites, and 25 percent had fecal and urinary contamination of their coats. All had severe flea infestations.

The total cost to treat the cats topped $10,000. All of the surviving cats have since been adopted by families or rescue organizations.

Sharon Howe and Perez face up to eight years in state prison if convicted. John Howe and the Morenos face up to seven years and four months. All are expected to be arraigned Jan. 18.