BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A Merritt Island woman is in custody, charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty, after nearly two dozen cats were found in her storage unit.
The cats were removed from CubeSmart Self Storage on Amsdell Road Thursday after foul odors tipped off employees.
Amy Lynn Dvorak, 43, said she was trying to help, just before she was placed in a patrol car and taken to the Brevard County Jail.
Deputies said they found 23 cats inside Dvorak's storage locker at the self-storage facility.
Sheriff's officials described the conditions inside her recently rented unit as deplorable.
The unit is climate controlled, but Channel 9's Melonie Holt was told that there was poor ventilation and little food where the cats were kept.
Officials said the 10 foot by 15 foot unit was never meant to house animals. They said veterinarians will check the cats.
"They're all going to have to be evaluated. Each on an individual basis," Cpl. Dave Jacobs of the Brevard County Sheriff's Office said.
Holt was told that most of the cats appeared to be in relatively good condition.
Investigators believe they were in storage unit fewer than two weeks before they were discovered.
"I don't think she's a habitual offender, she just didn't properly care for the animals," Jacobs said.
Along with the animal cruelty charges, Dvorak is charged with improper confinement of animals.
The Brevard County sheriff said his agency's animal care centers partner with a number of rescue groups.
He said there is no legitimate excuse for the hoarding of pets or treatment of animals that puts them at risk of suffering or death.