A Trumbull County humane agent seized 61 animals from Small World Animal Shelter in Girard, citing unsanitary conditions.
According to court documents, there was probable cause for the agent to take the 60 cats and one rabbit from the shelter on October 28, because of the conditions that they believe violates Ohio revised code for cruelty to companion animals.
According to the attorneys, many of the cats in the shelter suffered from untreated medical conditions, such as upper respiratory infections and parasites.
They added that along with the unsanitary conditions, there was no area to quarantine the sick animals from the healthy ones, which exposed the healthy animals to several diseases like feline leukemia.
Many of the surfaces in the shelter had been covered in mucus, and was a primary driver in the investigation. This was a result of excessive sneezing from the cats with respiratory infections.
According to the Ohio Secretary of State website, the shelter has been operating without a valid registration since 2018…