A man who kept 157 cats in his house in poor conditions was sentenced to jail on Friday.
The 56-year-old Brick Township resident was sentenced to six months in county jail as a condition of probation, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement. He pleaded guilty earlier this year to two counts of animal cruelty.
As part of his sentence, he is also banned from owning animals for life and will have to do 25 days of community service, which cannot involve animals.
He called police on May 4, 2023, requesting help with removing the cats from his house. Authorities then spent more than 24 hours removing 157 cats and 3 dogs from the residence, prosecutors said.
Of the 160 pets that were in the home, 68 were seriously injured and many had to be euthanized, officials said.
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Nicolas Fernandes may be reached at nfernandes@njadvancemedia.com.
