Jennifer McDonald pleaded no contest to mistreatment of animals causing death. (Photo courtesy Winnebago County Sheriff's Office)
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Jennifer McDonald was placed on probation for two years Thursday, after seven dead cats were found in an abandoned residence in Neenah.
McDonald, 48, pleaded no contest to mistreatment of animals causing death. A count of intentionally abandoning an animal was dismissed.
She was also ordered not to have an animals or pets by Judge Michael Gibbs, court records show.
As part of a foreclose process for the home on Washington Avenue, a bank subcontractor entered the property in April and found multiple dead cats, skeletons and bones.
McDonald told police she hadn’t been there since the September before.
“Jennifer stated that she had cats before she and her daughter left, but they got rid of them. She emphasized multiple times that they got rid of the cats they had before she stopped staying at the residence. Jennifer confirmed that she has not been in the house in quite some time,” the complaint states.
“In total, the remains of seven deceased cats were located within the house: one in the basement, one in the kitchen, one in the hallway, three in the front room, and one on the upper landing. Based on the evidence observed on scene, it appears that the cats had cannibalized each other after other food sources were no longer available. No remains of non-cat animals were found,” the complaint states.
McDonald eventually said there were four cats there, but none had been spayed or neutered.
“Jennifer admitted that she should have done things differently. She stated, “I did great raising my two kids and having a house, and then everything turned upside down. And I just got lost and didn’t know what to do anymore. Bad excuse, but explanation”,” the complaint states. “She went on to say that she panicked, her health has suffered greatly over the past few years and it was one thing after another. She stated she got overwhelmed with everything going on in her life.”
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