A mother and daughter have been charged with mistreating animals after authorities discovered 46 cats and dogs in their north Minneapolis house in such poor condition that 33 of the animals had to be euthanized.
Theresa Carmen Nelson, 46, and her daughter, Misti Dawn Nelson, 22, were each charged on Monday with two misdemeanor counts of cruelty and torture to animals.
According to a police report, Minneapolis police executed a search warrant on Aug. 7 at their two-story house on the 2300 block of Fremont Av. N. for unrelated offenses.
The officers "observed the overwhelming smell of urine and feces" and found feces in every room and litter boxes overflowing with feces.
Minneapolis Animal Care & Control officers were called, and they discovered three cats in a locked basement room without food or water.
In the house were five adult pit bulls and three puppies, along with 38 cats and kittens.
"All of the animals were covered with fleas" and some of the dogs suffered from skin and eye ailments, the police report said. The animal control officers found one dead kitten, and another kitten died before all the cats were inventoried.
The police report said that "33 animals had be humanely euthanized" at the city's animal control facilities "due to their extremely poor condition."
