MERCED COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) — A woman faces 93 counts of animal cruelty after Merced County Sheriff’s deputies found over 100 cats in distress inside a U-Haul.

Nearly 20 cats could be seen through the windshield of a U-Haul in Santa Nella on Sunday, crammed into the dashboard as the sun heated the van.

“They were pushed down in the window,” said Kalen Rafferty, an animal control officer with the Merced County Sheriff’s Office. “You could see they were distressed, sick. It was one of the worst cases of animal hoarding I’ve ever seen.”

Officer Rafferty was one of many officers who found the cats inside the U-Haul in a Taco Bell parking lot.

“The smell of the animal urine and feces was overpowering,” he described.

He says they found 118 extremely thin cats inside the van ranging from a day old to three years old, with little food or water.

“We found approximately 28 deceased animals as well,” Officer Rafferty stated.

All surviving cats were taken to the Merced County Animal Shelter.

“The cats are thriving more so than they were in the back of that van,” he said.

This incident is still under investigation.

The owner, 69-year-old Jeannie Maxon, was booked into the Merced County Jail facing 93 counts of animal cruelty.

“Be cognizant of the heat outside and know that if you turn off your vehicle, it’s going to get very hot very quickly,” Ofr. Rafferty advised.

The sheriff’s office reminds everyone to give your pet a cool place to stay, plenty of shade, along with lots of water and food.

The cats will be up for adoption once they are medically cleared, which could take several months.

The earliest any could be ready would be about a month out.

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