Cats seized from hoarder causing problems

BELLEVILLE -- Taking care of 28 cats seized from a woman charged with animal hoarding in May has been costing St. Clair County Animal Services in Belleville more than $5,400 a month.

And several hundred kittens that might have been adoptable have been turned away from the adoption center at Animal Services because the 28 cats, mostly adults, have been filling those much-needed spaces.

Fifty-nine-year-old Cheryl Dashke was found with 28 cats in her van on May 26. The cats were taken to the Belleville Area Humane Society, and she was charged with misdemeanor animal hoarding. A judge turned custody of the cats over to Animal Services last week when Dashke failed to pay bond while she waits for trial on the animal hoarding charge.