Oak Creek cat house, man fined $100 for mistreatment
Ryan Ross
OAK CREEK, Wis. - An Oak Creek man charged after more than 100 cats were found in a home has been ordered to pay a total of $100 in fines for the offenses.
Ryan Ross, 38, pleaded guilty to two counts of mistreating animals and two additional counts were dismissed.
Ross was charged in 2019 after the animals were found in a home where he used to live near Drexel and Burdick. Of the 117 cats found, more than half had to be euthanized.
Oak Creek police responded to the home in September 2019 after a caller said she hadn't seen anyone in the home for at least two months and was concerned about the animals living there. A criminal complaint states officers noticed the odor of feces and ammonia coming from the home while still outside.
An investigation revealed the home was in "severely poor condition," the complaint said, with feces covering the entire residence. Officers noted their eyes and throat were burning due to irritation from the odor of urine and feces.
Prosecutors said there was no food or water for the animals, and it did not appear anyone was living in the home. Water department officials later responded and determined the water in the home had not been used since early May 2019.
Oak Creek home where 117 cats were found. (2019)
According to prosecutors, Ross told investigators he had lived in the home with his girlfriend, and saw some cats outside during winter 2017. He said he would take them inside to care for them – unsure whether they were feral or domesticated. He said he never took them to the vet, and never had them spayed or neutered. He said he began to realize they were reproducing at a rapid rate, and he was unable to keep up with the maintenance. He said he left the home in July 2019 due to the number of cats living there.
Investigators spoke with Ross, who stated "he had a problem" – admitting there were numerous cats at the home and "things got out of control and he did not know what to do." While he said he wasn't living at the home, he said he regularly checked on the cats.
Ross further stated that he was upset with the Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission (MADACC) because he had taken cats there in the past and learned they were euthanized. He said that's why he did not call for help in this case, according to the complaint. He noted that he would bring food and water to the home for the animals.
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