Woman has 42 cats removed from home

Lynn Rettig, 48, a part-time college student who is unemployed, has all of her pet cats take away from her. All 42 cats.

Authorities seized 42 cats and is housing them until a March 20 custody hearing. Rettig, who may face animal cruelty charges, can't imagine life without her pets. "They're my children, not of my blood but of my heart," she said.

The stench of cat urine and feces overwhelmed authorities when they entered Rettig's home Feb. 13.

They had gone there after being contacted by Robert Rettig, Lynn Rettig's brother, who was concerned about his sister's welfare. According to a police report, most of the rooms were covered with cat hair and had areas of cat feces overflowing litter boxes.

In one room, "only the portion immediately inside the swing of the bedroom door was clear (of feces)," the report stated. "The feces appeared to be at a depth of one inch to an estimated six inches against the far walls."

The bedroom where Rettig's mother had slept was strewn with debris and cat feces. The toilet was broken and the bathtub was filled with several inches of putrid brown liquid, according to Rettig's brother.

Lynn Rettig was ordered to vacate the premises immediately.
In an interview, Rettig said she acquired the cats gradually, and that all but four of them are from the same family. Years ago, when she lived with her parents in Madison, someone dumped two cats - one male, one female - in the neighborhood. The cats gravitated to the Rettigs' backyard.

Rettig, who has never married (wow that’s a surprise!?!), said she and her mother gradually had the cats spayed and neutered and declawed. The last kittens were born in 2003.

"I didn't want to acquire all these cats, but once I did, I had the responsibility to care for them," she said. Giving any of them away would have been too hard emotionally, she said.

Uh, can you say f*ckin sick! Listen, I love pets as much as the next person- but maintaining sane living conditions with attention to hygiene is essential in my mind. How could live knowing you have INCHES of poop in the corners of your bedroom! WTF? Ewww. Read the full article here.