Couple abandoned over a dozen cats in foreclosed home, New Hampshire cops say

A New Hampshire couple is accused of abandoning more than a dozen cats in a foreclosed home, leading some of them to suffer and die, police say.

A resident of Manchester reported seeing cats unattended in his neighbor’s home for at least two weeks in October, according to a March 9 police news release.

Officers responded to the home to investigate and smelled a pungent odor from a window.

“Inside they could see furniture flipped over, torn up, and covered in feces,” police said. “They also saw a deceased cat in the corner. Several extremely thin cats could be seen on a couch.”

The animals did not appear healthy and looked to be missing fur, and no water or food had been left out for them, police said.

Animal control later removed four dead cats and 10 seriously ill cats from the home, police said.

The home’s occupants, a 42-year-old woman and 59-year-old man, were arrested on March 9 and have been charged with 14 counts of animal cruelty, police said. They are scheduled to appear in court on April 12.

The FBI found over 3,200 reports of animal cruelty in 2017, the latest year with information available, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association, which notes that there are gaps in data collection.

Manchester is about 20 miles south of Concord.