ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A man has been arrested after Orange County deputies say they found nearly a dozen cats dead inside of a home.
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Alan Ross, 51, has been charged with animal cruelty in the Sunday incident.
Deputies said they could smell the foul odor two houses down from the home on Clemwood Drive.
Ross told deputies that he had not been to his home in about two to three weeks to care for the cats, but that he had a friend caring for them.
Neighbors told Local 6 they offered numerous times to take care of the cats but Ross declined their offers. They said they had not seen anyone checking on or feeding the cats within the last few weeks.
Molly Barnett lives next to Ross and said she called police Sunday when the smell became overwhelming.
"It's very disheartening, and all the neighbors on the street are very upset about it. To know it was happening next door in our neighborhood just really appalls all of us," Barnett said.
Ross was arrested and taken to Orange County jail, where he has since bonded out.
He could face up to five years in prison and or a $10,000 fine.
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