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Nearly 30 cats seized from Virginia home; woman charged with animal cruelty

Posted at 4:33 PM, Apr 09, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-09 16:33:03-04

HAMPTON, Va. – A Hampton woman has been charged with animal cruelty after police seized 29 cats from a home in the first block of Sweet Gum Place Friday.

Emily Suzanne Wright, 34, of Hampton is wanted on 29 counts of Felony Cruelty to Animals, 29 counts of General Duties, 29 counts of Failure to Vaccinate for Rabies and 29 counts of no city cat licenses.

“They were pulling them out one by one and they had kittens and all that’s stuff… so it sucked to watch,” Jaelyn Williamson told affiliate WTKR.

The 29 cats were living in filthy conditions according to neighbors.

Photo courtesy of the Hampton Police Division

“I felt bad for the cats because I have dogs myself but other than that I didn’t feel bad for her because it’s the second time it’s happened. Somebody like that doesn’t deserve to have animals,” Williamson said.

It’s not just neighbors like Williams who knew something wasn’t right in 34-year-old Emily Wright’s home.

A quick name search reveals a long documented history of run in’s with the law-all for animal cruelty charges.

Emily Suzanne Wright

Now she faces 100 new charges, including an animal cruelty charge for each cat taken from her home.

“I think animals are just as important as we are, so if she wanted to bring that on herself then that’s what happens,”  Williamson said.

All 29 cats were taken to the Peninsula Regional Animal Shelter.

Kennel Manager Roger Iles says with no vaccinations and no medical history the process of making these cats healthy will not be quick.

“We are looking at the most basic veterinary care everything from vaccinations to external and internal parasites will be another consideration,” Roger Iles said

It will take several weeks before these cats can be adopted.

The shelter says they are hopeful all of the cats will find a home.

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