Last April Toronto police charged 63-year-old Diane Way, a Manor Road resident, with animal cruelty after finding that she was hoarding dozens of cats. More than a month later and the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) is still working to remove the cats from the Mount Pleasant Road and Eglinton Avenue East area home.
“They’re actually in the walls and in the roof and hiding,” said Alison Cross, a spokesperson of OSPCA. “We’re still working with police because basically the cats are still in the home.”
According to Way’s neighbour, Peter Murphy, more than 100 cats have been removed from the home. When police originally arrested Way, they reported finding 50 to 60 cats. Murphy said he had known something was wrong for years. About seven years ago he said Way started letting her home fall into decay. For the last four years he said there has been a smell of ammonia.
“Regardless, she just insisted that there was no smell,” said Murphy.
Murphy also said he alerted the former councillor, but that no action was taken. According to the police news release, officers were informed of the trouble by a political canvasser who noticed a foul odour coming from the home.