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Iowa man charged after scores of live, dead cats found

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June 5th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities charged a man with animal neglect and other crimes after an animal rescue group removed around 100 cats from horrid conditions at his central Iowa property, where around 200 cat carcasses were found. Polk County court records say 65-year-old Dennis Carlson is charged with three counts of failure to dispose of a dead animal and five counts of animal neglect. The records don’t list the name of an attorney who could comment for him.

The Animal Rescue League of Iowa says in a news release that the cats and carcasses were discovered Tuesday in several buildings at the property, which sits a little more than a mile southeast of Madrid. Rescuers had to wear respirators and protective suits because of the garbage, cat feces, urine and carcasses inside the buildings. League CEO Tom Colvin says it’s by far the worst hoarding case the Iowa organization has seen in more than 10 years.