Oakland County 'Cat Woman' Won't Face Charges

WATERFORD (WWJ) - A Waterford Township woman taken into custody after about 30 cats were found living in squalor in her home will not face criminal charges.

Kimberly Merrell had been facing a possible animal cruelty charge but a spokesman for the office of the Oakland County Prosecutor says it's been determined that the cats were actually adequately cared for.

Merrell, 50, was jailed briefly last weekend after a neighbor contacted authorities.

The Waterford Fire Department responded and entered the house wearing hazmat suits and breathing apparatus equipment. Township officials who entered the house observed the interior conditions to be deplorable and uninhabitable, with the entire bathtub filled with cat feces and cat feces ankle-deep throughout the residence.

Animal control officers removed the cats from the home on Airport Road. They were taken the county animal shelter.

One of the cats was found dead in the home.

The house has been condemned, but Merrell can move back in once township officials determine the home has been properly cleaned.