Woman wanted for having unsafe cat horde

An arrest warrant was issued Friday for a Lawton woman accused of keeping a horde of cats in unsafe conditions.

The Comanche County District Court issued the felony arrest warrant for Sylvia H. Kittle, 64, for a count of cruelty to animals, records indicate. The crime is punishable by up to five years in prison and/or fine up to $5,000.

The Lawton Animal Shelter received a complaint on Oct. 31 of Kittle having over 30 cats inside her house. 1109 NW 34th, that were causing a public safety and health concern, according to Lawton Police Detective Christopher Adamson. An Animal Welfare officer went to the home but was not allowed inside by Kittle’s husband. Lawton police were called to assist.

Sgt. Michael Anderson arrived and spoke with the elderly man who admitted to having only 15 cats inside the home, the warrant affidavit states. Anderson reported the home’s conditions that included part of the wall was falling down and tarps were over the roof, Adamson stated. Adult Protective Services was contacted.

On Nov. 5, DHS contacted Animal Welfare and said the Kittles had refused assistance. Superintendent Cliff Blasengame arranged for 11 of the cats to be picked up from the home and during impound, a strong odor of feces and urine was smelled from the street, the affidavit states. Kittle turned over two cats and they were taken to the shelter where they were treated for ringworm, fleas, eye injuries and malnutrition, Adamson stated.

The next day, Kittle took three more cats to the shelter and they were suffering from the same afflictions, according to the affidavit.

Blasengame learned on Nov. 7 the home has been without water since January 2023 and that the City of Lawton had declared the home dilapidated on Oct 22, according to Adamson.

A search warrant was executed on Nov. 12 and investigators found the house covered in feces and urine, full of flies and hoarded with only a walkway with extension cords throughout the house, the affidavit states. Nine more cats were collected and another 10 to 12 were seen running from the house, Adamson stated.

During the cat collection, two Animal Control officers were bitten and, later, two cats were put down for medical reasons, according to the affidavit.