MERCED COUNTY, Calif. (KMJ/KFSN) — A woman faces 93 counts of animal cruelty after Merced County Sheriff’s deputies found over 100 cats in distress inside a U-Haul.
Many of the felines could be seen through the windshield, crammed into the dashboard as the van sat in the hot summer sun on Sunday in the parking lot of a Taco Bell in Santa Nella.
Inside, animal control officers found 106 extremely emaciated cats with no food or water.
They also found 28 dead cats.
The owner has been identified as 69-year-old Jeannie Maxon of Long Beach. She’s been booked into the Merced County jail.
All the animals, which range in age from one week to eight years old, are now being cared for at the Merced County Animal Shelter and at the Atwater Veterinary Center.
Once they are medically clear, the cats will be available for adoption.
