Mission woman arrested for abandoning eight cats in her apartment
A Mission woman was arrested after police found eight abandoned cats in her former apartment covered in urine and feces, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Jessica Idalia Alaniz, 45, was charged with eight counts of cruelty to non-livestock animals after McAllen police found her cats in her apartment without food or water.
On Sept. 5, the main supervisor, Jose Castanon, for the Peppertree apartments located at 1101 W. Dove Avenue, contacted police in regards to cats being abandoned by a tenant, according to the affidavit.
The supervisor said that another tenant advised him of a foul smell coming from his neighbors apartment.
“The neighbors to said apartment advised Jose they had last seen the tenant, identified as Jessica Alaniz, on August 28th, 2024 when she was moving items out of the apartment in the nighttime hours,” the affidavit said.
After contacting police, Castanon made entry into the apartment and reported that several cats scattered as soon as the door was opened. He also reported that there was a strong foul odor of feces and urine.
Castanon added that there was no food or water left for the cats and it appeared as if they were scavenging food because there were packages of uncooked rice and beans in the kitchen, according to the document.
A McAllen police officer reported that the air conditioning wasn’t on in the apartment and the temperature inside was hot. He also noticed that mold was growing on the feces.
“There was trash reported throughout the entire apartment and no water or food for the cats to be left for them,” the affidavit said.
A crime scene investigator reported that the cats were located in the kitchen and were hiding in cabinets and drawers.
Eventually, an animal warden arrived and rescued the eight cats.
“The cats collected were seen to have discoloration on their fur and appeared slightly malnourished as a result of the unsanitary living conditions and were covered in dried feces,” the affidavit said. “The cats were transported to the Palm Valley Animal Society for care.”
On Sept. 30, an investigator made contact with PVAS staff who advised the cats weren’t suffering from life-threatening injuries, but were medically treated and had been placed for adoption.
The following day, the same investigator contacted Castanon who provided a copy of Alaniz’s lease which stated she only had one cat in her possession.
Castanon stated Alaniz had been two months past her rent and she was aware of her late rent because they had been in contact via text, but added that she never indicated she was vacating the apartment.
He also said he had been trying to call her, but she wouldn’t answer his calls.
When police attempted to reach out to Alaniz, they were met with the same issue.
It’s unclear how Alaniz was apprehended, but she’s currently jailed on $12,000 in bonds.
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