Woman arrested in 2nd cat hoarding case this week

BLOOMINGDALE - For the second time in a week, a woman has been charged with hoarding dozens of cats in her house, and deputies say many of them are in bad health.

Constance Biebel, the secretary of the Bloomingdale Village Homeowners Association, has been arrested for animal cruelty. Investigators raided her home on Minuteman Lane in Bloomingdale Friday morning and took most of the cats. One more came out of hiding hours later.

"If they had remained there, they would have died there," said Pat Perry of Hillsborough Animal Services.

Animal Control says there were 28 cats in bad shape, living in terrible conditions. Investigators say many of them will have to be put down.

"They are emaciated, losing hair, open sores, some of them can't close their mouths," Perry said.

Biebel was arrested at her home and is charged with cruelty to animals. She is in jail on $70,000 bond.

"It's probably one of the worst cases I've ever seen," Perry said. "We have an ammonia reader and it went off over 45 parts per million, which is unfit for human habitat or animals. Just horrid conditions."

At Animal Services in Hillsborough County, happy and healthy cats were being adopted.

"They're like us too, they suffer and they feel pain and it's not right," said Tampa resident Rosa Sterling.

Sterling is a mother of two. She heard about the latest case of alleged cat hoarding and says she is teaching her boys the responsibility of caring for an animal. They are adding a new member to their family.

"If you want an animal, it's like having another child," Sterling said. "You have to take care of them in every way and make sure they have everything that they need."

Something investigators say was not happening at the Biebel home.

Animal Services says they will know in the next couple of days whether any of the cats can be saved.