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By SHAWN COHEN
THE JOURNAL NEWS
Westchester, NY
(Original publication: April 3, 2004)
HARRISON - On the front steps of Ruth Sonneville's house is a welcome mat that states "Go Away," and with good reason.
Last week, authorities entered the house and seized 60 Maine coon cats, many of them sickly and matted, along with 10 dogs. There were urine stains and feces all over the carpet, and signs of rats.
Neighbors said that, for months, Sonneville hadn't let them inside the two-story gray stucco house at the end of a dead-end street that they said smelled increasingly like a barn.
Sonneville, a breeder of Maine coons who markets them on the Internet, is now being investigated by police and prosecutors, while her animals face an uncertain fate in a shelter that finds itself overrun by cats.
"We're in a position of bursting at the seams here," said Mimi Einstein, president of the SPCA of Westchester, sitting in a room filled with caged coons at the Ossining shelter. "Obviously, she was not equipped to be able to handle this number of animals. Every single cat there wound up suffering in some regard because of neglect. This was just completely out of hand."
As authorities mull criminal charges, the county Health Department has cited her for rodent infestation. The town of Harrison is considering additional penalties, including zoning violations because such businesses are banned in residential zones, said code enforcement officer Edward Di Buono.
The SPCA, meanwhile, sent most of the cats to its shelter on North State Road, which has been nursing them to health, shaving patches of their matted fur, and giving some antibiotics for respiratory infections and other illnesses. Einstein said she's happy to report that all of them are improving, even one kitten she feared might die because of its breathing problems.
But her center is now overwhelmed. Nearly half the cats are pregnant, so the population could double in weeks, said Einstein, who is desperately trying to get them cleared for adoption.
"We want legal possession so we could spay, neuter and find homes because, for the time being, our hands are tied," she said. "We don't technically own them."
Sonneville, who works in a White Plains law office, refused to comment on the situation.
She has been running a cattery for several years out of her home, at 15 Underhill Place, doing business as the "Charlemaine Maine Coon Cattery." The cats, said Einstein, can fetch as much as $1,100.
On her Web site, which was recently taken down, Sonneville writes that she used to breed German shepherds and Great Danes, but switched to Maine coons after moving into a smaller home with her three children.
"I have been an animal lover from as far back as I can remember," she wrote.
She also wrote that she ran 4-H clubs in the Harrison town park, teaching children how to care for and show cows, sheep, chickens and other livestock. She said that she entered several in local shows and that her Maine coons have won national competitions.
"There's this network all over the country," Einstein said. "These people all have Web sites and ship these cats all over to be bred and have kittens sold."
A Web search reveals that dozens of U.S. catteries use Charlemaine cats. Of the 42 cats at Einstein's shelter, 12 came from a Texas cattery that sent them to Sonneville to be cross-bred.
On March 23, an anonymous woman called the county Health Department to report that she noticed extreme odors in the Sonneville house, which she said was overcrowded with cats, a department phone log states. She bought one of the cats and told health officials that it made two of her other cats sick.
Early last week, Harrison police visited the home as part of an unrelated investigation. Officers noticed sanitary problems and called the Health and Building departments to report their concerns, police Chief David Hall said.
Police executed a search warrant eight days ago, showing up with authorities from the county District Attorney's Office and Health Department, the Harrison Building Department and SPCA.
"The smell was enough to knock you over," said JoAnn Moore, one of the SPCA workers who entered the property and spent several hours documenting the conditions.
Later, a Briarcliff Manor veterinarian examined 52 of the cats and reported most of them suffered medical problems, including respiratory, ear and urinary tract infections, mites, skin conditions, gum disease and diarrhea. Some appeared underweight, and at least 18 were pregnant, according to the vet's report.
"We're treating all of them and hoping they all survive," Einstein said. "Only one of them we're not so sure about, but it seems to be responding to medication."
Send e-mail to Shawn Cohen: spcohen@thejournalnews.com
How to help:
The SPCA of Westchester is seeking donations of food, litter, beds, toys and other items for the cats taken from a Harrison home last week. People can drop donations off at the shelter, at 590 N. State Road in Ossining, or call 914-941-2894, Ext. 1112 or 1113.