Cat Count Climbs to Nearly 600 as Animal Rescuer Is Arrested

VAN NUYS —  Nearly 600 cats--believed to be a record--were taken from an animal rescue operation long praised for cleanliness but found this week in deplorable condition, authorities said Monday.

The operator, Doris Romeo, 58, of West Los Angeles was arrested on charges of cruelty and neglect and later released after posting $20,000 bail.

The nonprofit Pets for Life operation was launched by Romeo in 1990, specializing in rescuing feral and abandoned cats and taking in diseased and dying felines that owners could no longer care for. The operation, which is unlicensed, has been solely supported by donations, as well as proceeds from Romeo’s vegetarian catering business and domestic employment agency.

By Tuesday afternoon, Romeo said all of her clients canceled appointments after learning of her arrest. “I have lost my business. I have lost everything. I have nothing left,” she said.

Animal officials described the conditions they found at Romeo’s house, located on the 7000 block of Valjean Avenue, as “horrific,” and not fit for humans or animals, said Peter Persic, spokesman for the city Department of Animal Services.

Romeo said her operation is well-kept and the animals properly cared for. She said she has been unable to obtain a kennel permit from the city because of a zoning restriction.

But additional charges may be filed against Romeo, said Persic, and others may be arrested. Her arraignment is scheduled for July 28 at Van Nuys Municipal Court.

A total of 617 animals were taken from the house, located in an industrial area near Van Nuys Airport. It took more than nine hours to inventory 28 dogs and 589 cats, nine of which were found dead. Authorities killed 39 of the most severely-diseased cats, Persic said.

Private veterinarians on Tuesday were called to assist the city’s chief veterinarian in examining the animals. Officials could not say how many more of the animals will have to be killed. Dr. Dena Mangiamele, chief veterinarian for city animal services, said the collection included “a lot of really ill, emaciated cats, many with viral diseases.”

At least one of the dead cats was confined in a cage and lying on a heating pad, Persic said. Other dead animals were found in shopping bags in a closet and under furniture.

Persic said “no one in the department can remember collecting this many animals” from any one location before. He declined to call the 800-square-foot house a shelter.

“It was a single-family residential home,” Persic said. “A shelter doesn’t have 589 cats running through bedrooms, the kitchen, hallway and bathroom.”

The operation marked the first time the department used its newly purchased “emergency mobile kennel,” a large van bought in April for rescuing animals during disasters, such as a fire or earthquake. The department also used trucks and a horse trailer to transport animals to city shelters.

Romeo said she has long provided separate living areas in the house for feral cats and for those with a feline immune system deficiency. She also had an area for cats with feline leukemia. She said several other ailing cats had just been turned into the shelter before authorities arrived.

Charyne Anderson, 37, lives at the house with the cats and helps Romeo treat and feed the animals. Another full-time worker helps Anderson with the daily cleaning, Romeo said. That worker had the day off and the house had not yet been cleaned when authorities arrived before noon Monday.

“They just came in like storm troopers out of Nazi Germany,” Romeo said. “I was frightened. They put me in handcuffs and I was scared to death.”

Animal services officials have frequently visited the shelter unannounced and there is no record of citations issued for violations. However, after she was told to obtain a kennel permit, Romeo said she applied two years ago but was turned down because of a zoning infraction. She said she had hoped soon to be able to move the operation, possibly to the West Valley, because of overcrowding at the Van Nuys house.

Romeo said a man broke into the shelter Monday morning, releasing animals, overturning furniture and scattering food. Animal regulation officials said they were not aware of the claim. A neighbor, who asked not to be identified, said a man reeking of cat odors hysterically complained to her on Monday that his pets had disappeared from the shelter.

In a 1995 interview, Gary Olsen, general manager of the animal services department, said his agency had inspected Romeo’s Van Nuys facility.

“Our officer said it was in good shape,” Olsen said. “She was real concerned because we visited her during one of those downpours, and things can get pretty messy with that many cats. But she was doing a very good job.”

Olsen on Tuesday did not return calls from The Times.