This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Hoarder Kept 240* Cats in Filthy Storage Structure [UPDATED]
Photo by R.E.˜ via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
UPDATE 12:28 PM: The final tally for the number of cats seized from Regan's hoard is 240, says the Star-News.There's being a "crazy cat lady," as in a fondness for LOL Cats emails, jokes about spinsterhood, and perpetual fur on clothes, and then there's being a crazy cat lady, as in keeping 140 cats in feces-soiled crates inside a storage space.
The tale of 62-year-old Temple City resident Tanya Regan is extreme; she was tending to the felines daily after midnight where they were kept "stacked in filth-crusted cages," in a storage structure, according to CBS2, "but some were also fenced off along the floors in at least four chain-link structures, where feces collected in piles at the corners," reports the Star-News.
The Pasadena Humane Society says their retrieval of the animals was the "second-largest seizure in the organization's 108-year history." They also found "several dead cats stored in a freezer." Regan, who told people she had just 10 cats at her Temple City home, will face charges that "could include animal cruelty and neglect." Her hoard was discovered after volunteers who helped her contacted the authorities; neighbors had often complained about the stench.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
