OLD FORGE — An Old Forge couple is facing multiple felony counts of aggravated animal cruelty after more than 100 cats were rescued from their property, which officials called “deplorable.”
Angelo and Elizabeth Corradino, 517 Smith St., allegedly moved from their property at 200 Amity Ave., leaving two dogs and over 100 cats behind.
A neighbor reported she could see cats and kittens in the windows of the residence, but that there had been no one there to care for the animals for at least a month.
She told investigators that she not seen any activity at the residence, nor had her husband, who is a hunter and often leaves early in the morning.
According to the criminal complaint:
On Feb. 23, Lackawanna County Humane Officer Marci Zeiler was called to the Amity Avenue residence for the report of cats and kittens being abandoned at the property for an extended period.
As Zeiler approached the house, she immediately smelled a strong odor and could see the dangerous condition of the residence from outside.
Zeiler said that, because an animal can go only three to four days without food, she requested a warrant to enter the house.
She posted a notice on the front door of the home, giving the owner or caretaker 24 hours to contact her by to prove the animals had not been abandoned.
She noted in an affidavit, “Living conditions appear to be extremely unsanitary and animals appear to be in poor condition.”
Zeiler didn’t hear from the homeowners, and at about 11:30 a.m. the next day, animal enforcement officials, Old Forge police officers and code enforcement officials arrived at the house to execute the search warrant. The property was immediately condemned by a code enforcement officer.
Officials spotted many cats and two dogs through the front door. When they entered the house, they found floors and surfaces coated in urine and feces.
Zeiler first removed two dogs, one of which — known as Ethan — was unable to stand and needed to be carried out.
Officials then began removing multiple cats from the residence, which were transported to Griffin Pond Animal Shelter in South Abington Twp. for examination and medical care.
As officials worked to remove more cats from the residence, they were thwarted by the conditions of the house. Zeiler noted that the bathroom was so caked in feces that she was unable to close the door. The carpet in the master bedroom was so saturated in urine it was lifting from the floor, she said.
In the master bedroom, officials rescued more than 20 cats, one of which was dead, on the first day of the rescue.
Zeiler was concerned about the strong smell of ammonia and requested the Old Forge Fire Department do an ammonia reading. Fire officials determined the level was extremely high and directed that rescuers limit their time inside the home to 10 minutes and use personal protective equipment.
Officials were then able to talk by phone to Elizabeth Corradino, who gave permission for animal control officers to remove the rest of the animals from the home, confirming the permission in an email. She said her husband was at the house daily to provide food and water for the animals.
Zeiler asked Corradino why, if her husband visited the property daily, he hadn’t responded to the notice. Corradino said he must have gone into the house through the back door.
Officials worked each weekday until March 11 rescuing cats, setting traps and using cameras. In total, 132 living cats, three dead cats and two dogs were taken from the residence.
“All animals removed from the house suffered imminent risk of serious bodily injury or death due to the unsanitary conditions in the home and unsafe levels of ammonia they were unable to escape,” Zeiler wrote in an affidavit.
“The owners of the house were there regularly and aware of these conditions, but left the animals here to suffer anyway. These conditions resulted in the death of at least three cats.”
The two dogs, Ethan and Elliot, and two cats, Koa and Kato, were in the worst physical shape and needed urgent care in order to survive, the complaint reads.
“Unfortunately, there were pregnant cats in the house that have given birth adding to an already unmanageable number of additional cats in the shelter,” the criminal complaint concluded.
The couple ultimately relinquished the cats to authorities, after thinking it over for several days, the complaint states.
Corradino initially asked to keep one of the cats, on which she said she had spent several thousands dollars, but ultimately decided to relinquish that animal also.
Angelo and Elizabeth Corradino each have a preliminary hearing scheduled for 10:15 a.m. on May 27 before District Judge George Seig.