Cages, filth, feces: 92 cats and dogs rescued from home, 5 owners identified

STUART, Florida -- The Martin County Sheriff's Office rescued 92 animals, including 80 cats and 12 dogs, from a home in the Foxwood community of Stuart, in what Sheriff John Budensiek described as the worst case of animal hoarding he has seen in the county.

Body camera footage from the Martin County Sheriff's Office shows the conditions inside the home in the Foxwood community, which Sheriff John Budensiek described as "horrific."

"These are squalor conditions; this is a nice house, nice neighborhood, but the conditions are horrific," Budensiek said. "We're talking about in some places a foot of animal feces in that house. There is no air conditioning in that house. So when we cracked the door on it earlier today, the stench was unreal, the air was stifling hot."

The sheriff's office said animal control had been trying to access the home for about a week, but the homeowner, Gail Giustino, 77, refused to cooperate. Court records show Giustino was issued over 40 citations in 2015 for improper care or treatment of animals, though the case was dismissed. Investigators now believe Giustino, a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier since 1997, collected many of the cats while working her route in the Port Salerno and Coral Gardens areas.

Early Tuesday morning, all 92 animals were transported to the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast, where they are now receiving medical attention and evaluations.

"A lot are underweight. Some are missing fur. They do that when they are under a lot of stress," said Sarah Fisher, of the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast.

Fisher added that while some of the animals appear to be feral, others are friendly and could potentially be adopted. "Half [are] very friendly. Those who can't go to a normal home [will need] a lot of land area [to] live their happiest lives," she said.

Residents in the area are now wondering if their missing pets could be among the rescued animals. Megan Remick, a Martin County resident, said her cat Savannah went missing three years ago.

"I saw one of the rescuers, animal control officers, bring out a cage with a tiny white cat in it," Remick said. "I know there's other white cats in the world, but man, something just hit me, and just the thought that she could have been sitting in that filth, not being able to breathe in a cage for three years is just absolutely horrifying."

Another resident, Shannon, said her cat Tux disappeared two weeks ago.

"I didn't really even know about the news story until about two random people called me and said, 'You live next to Sunshine Mobile, right? The mail lady got arrested,'" Shannon said.

She added, "I looked on the news and saw a video of one of the tuxedo cats inside the cage that they were taking out of the house. And I'm very hopeful that it's my cat. And I'm really hoping to be reunited with my cat."

The sheriff's office has so far identified the owners of five of the animals and is asking anyone who believes one of the 80 cats could belong to them to file a missing pet report and schedule a time to be reunited with their pet.

A missing pet report can be filed at 772-463-3211.

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