Officers find 14 cat corpses at home of woman charged with animal cruelty
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RIGBY — A woman has been charged animal cruelty after multiple cat carcasses were found outside her home.
Josie Bishop, 47, was arraigned in district court Oct. 28, for one charge of cruelty to animals, a misdemeanor. Bishop was charged after Rigby police officers were called to a home on Sept. 24. A neighbor said she’d seen more than 50 feral cats coming and going from Bishop’s house and had seen the bodies of two dead cats in Bishop’s yard. She also mentioned a bad smell coming from the nearby home.
According to court documents, when officers arrived, they saw around five kittens running around the front of the home and coming in and out of a small opening under the garage door. They saw what they believed to be a lot of cat feces in the yard and flower bed. They also saw the body of a dead kitten in a milk crate.
From the neighbor’s back yard, they were able to see into Bishop’s yard where they noticed an animal pen, animal traps and garbage strewn across the yard.
They decided to leave a written warning for not properly disposing of an animal carcass and failing to clean up the feces. Bishop was given one week to comply with the warning or be given a citation.
Officers returned to Bishop’s home on Oct. 2. This time, they were able to enter her backyard through an open gate. According to documents, officers saw around 16 cats — adults and kittens. The saw two kitten carcasses under the back porch.
They noted there was a significant amount of feces around the outside of the home.
As they walked around the property, they found a total of 14 carcasses, including the first one they found in the milk crate from the previous visit plus a new body next to it.
Officers cited Bishop for the feces and carcasses. Bishop was also charged with cruelty to animals. The charge carries a maximum punishment of six months in jail with a minimum fine ranging from $100 to $5,000.