A woman is facing multiple charges after authorities said she had dozens of cats and dogs living in filthy conditions in her Deerfield Beach home.
Laura Marcela Child, 53, is facing 42 counts of unlawful confinement or abandonment of animals, as well as animal cruelty charges, following her arrest Friday.
Deputies who responded to her home found multiple animal cages, some stacked two high, full of 33 cats and two dogs, an arrest report said.
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Some cages were packed with as many as four cats, including some with injuries including small abrasions and missing patches of hair, the report said.
Another five dogs were found roaming freely in a gated off room that was "filled with animal feces and trash," the report said. Some of the dogs had matted fur that was caked with filth.
"Most of the residence's interior was coated with animal fecal matter, urine, refuse, and other filth which created an environment unfit for human and-or animal habitation," the report said. "The residence stunk of ammonia due to the buildup of cat urine and there were cockroaches and flies seen in and around the various piles of excrement."
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All of the animals were removed from the home by Broward County Animal Control.
During her bond court appearance Sunday, Child's attorney said she is a rescuer who takes in animals and gives them care.
