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A U-Haul van was found in a car park at Taco Bell in California crawling with a cat on Sunday evening. Officials said the van contains 134 cats, most of which are suffering, about a fifth of which are dead.
The disturbing images provided by the Merced County Sheriff’s office show a cat pressed against the front-line windshield of the vehicle. More animals (young kittens for a week) were found squeezed into cardboard boxes in the back.
A Long Beach woman has been arrested for 93 counts of animal cruelty after 106 “very debilitating” cats and 28 dead cats were collected from the van, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
According to a release posted to Facebook, the aide found a cat in a van parked outside Taco Bell in Santanella. They soon saw at least 20 cats needing assistance through the windshield of their car.
The animal control officer removed the sick and dead cats. They discovered there was no food or water inside the car, the release said.
Officials said cats range from one week to eight years old. The debilitated cat was taken to the Merced County Animal Services Shelter for treatment.
The release said animals will be available for adoption once medically cleaned up.
Authorities have identified the cat owner as 69-year-old Jeannie Maxon from Long Beach. She was booked at Merced County Jail. The incident was under investigation, officials said.
The sheriff’s office noted that the incident occurred on a summer day – that temperatures in Merced County reached 100 degrees Sunday, giving pet owners the opportunity to remind them of the dangers of leaving animals in their cars.
“The Merced County Sheriff’s Office wants to remind the public that leaving animals in cars over the summer is extremely dangerous,” the release said. “When traveling with your pets, make sure they have a cool place and provide shade, plenty of water and food.”
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