RUSSELL – A Russell woman was arraigned last week on an animal cruelty charge after abandoning her cat when she moved in December.
Kerri C. Houston, 42, of 961 Blandford Road, Russell, was released on her personal recognizance after being arraigned in Westfield District Court April 12 on charges of cruelty to animal by custodian.
Houston is charged according to Massachusetts General Law Chapter 272, Section 77B referred to as “Cruelty to animals; prohibition from work involving contact with animals.”
A custodian is an owner of an animal, according to mspca.org. The website states that it is unlawful for a custodian or owner to “fail to provide an animal with proper food and water; . . . veterinary attention needed to reduce or end suffering from disease or injury; a sanitary environment; to willfully abandon an animal.”
On December 15, Town of Russell Animal Control Officer Nathan Sperry contacted Russell Police Chief Jennifer Dubiel about the animal cruelty case, according to court records.
Sperry had removed a white cat from 130 Valley View Avenue on December 10 after it appeared that Houston had abandoned the pet when she abruptly moved out of the apartment on December 5.
Allegedly a neighbor, residing at 130 Valley View Avenue, contacted Sperry on December 9 claiming the cat had been “howling for at least 3 days,” Dubiel wrote in her report.
On December 9, Houston was given 24 hours to remove the cat from the vacated apartment.
At 3:15 December 10, Sperry, accompanied by Houston’s former landlord, entered the premises to remove the cat.
“While at the apartment Sperry observed what appeared to be animal feces on the kitchen floor and on top of various items in the house. Sperry did not observe a litter box anywhere. A large amount of trash was scattered throughout the apartment along with numerous old mattresses and broken furniture,” according to Dubiel’s report.
The morning of December 10, the health inspector, Joe Rouse, had told the landlord “to shut and lock the doors and not allow anyone back in to live in the property until it was cleaned up due to unhealthy living conditions,” according to Dubiel.
Rouse told Dubiel that the apartment had “a strong odor of feces and it was unlivable,” according to court records.
It appeared that “Houston, as the owner of the cat, willfully abandoned and failed to provide the necessary sustenance including food and water or a sanitary environment for the cat’s survival,” Dubiel wrote.
After rescuing the cat, Sperry took it to Blandford Animal Hospital where the animal was treated for “signs of abandonment and neglect, including ear mites, a flea infestation, open wounds to the neck area and undernourishment,” according to Dubiel.
Dubiel reported that the cat was recovering and gaining weight.
The charges filed against Houston include retrieving the costs accrued to care for the cat until the animal was ready to be adopted.
Houston is due back in court on June 7.
Staff Writer Christine Charnosky can be reached at [email protected]
Follow me on Twitter @charnoskyWNG
