A Georgetown woman is speaking out after she was attacked by a feral cat that she says is the result of an animal hoarding issue in her neighborhood.
Eva Middleton says for years her neighborhood in Georgetown has been dealing with a serious animal hoarding, feral cat issue at a house across the street, and that as a result she was recently bitten and injured by one of the cats.
“Tuesday afternoon, I was raking leaves in my yard, I was in and out of the shed looking for rakes and things, ya know, just trying to do some spring cleaning outside, and I heard my two little dogs were barking, and usually if a kid rides by or someone walks by and they bark that’s the end of it, but they wouldn’t stop barking, so I went around front to see what was going on,” Eva said. “They had a cat, a cat was crouched on the ground, it wasn’t my cat, and they were just both barking at it, and they’re small dogs, smaller than the cat, and I seen the cat around, it’s in my yard all the time.”
When Eva saw the cat, she said she tried to pick it up and move it when it bit her, seriously injuring her hand.
“It sunk it’s bottom and upper teeth into my hand, I don’t know if you can see it, but it was pretty brutal,” Eva said. “And then I thought, I’m older, I made a rock garden and I drop a rock on my foot, and then I got bit, everyday it’s something.”
After she was bit, Eva says she called animal control who showed up the next day and seized countless cats, some of which were dead.
“They had four or five animal trucks show up and the police, and they took all of the animals out, and I saw them carrying bags of dead cats,” Eva explained. “It took all day to this, and then she [the owner] did show up, I heard she got arrested for animal cruelty, and I don’t know true that is, but I did later text my son and my daughter who live in other states, and my daughter said ‘yea, mom she told me she keeps the cats in freezers, the ones that died,’ now I don’t know if they check the freezers, but the more people I talk to the worse it sounds.”
Eva said the animal hoarding at the home has long been a problem and her concern grew after a family moved in next door with several children, who she said could have been seriously injured by the stray cats if something wasn’t done.
“This has been going on for years!” Eva explained. “We just had a wonderful family move in next door on the other side of me, and they have six little kids that are out playing on the lawn all the time, and these cats are walking in my yard and there’s as well. I’m really concerned for the safety of the kids in this neighborhood.”
TV Delmarva News reached out to the Delaware Office of Animal Welfare who was aware of the incident and issued the following statement:
“Officers from the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) Office of Animal Welfare (OAW) seized 3 dogs and 12 cats on Thursday from deplorable living conditions in a home in Georgetown. One deceased cat was also removed. OAW executed a search warrant and seized the animals, which have been transferred to Brandywine Valley SPCA for further evaluation and care. An investigation is ongoing, and charges are pending.”
