A Stuart, Florida, woman who had given up hope of ever seeing her cat again was reunited with him this week, seven months after he went missing, after he turned up among nearly 100 animals pulled from a hoarding case involving a U.S. Postal Service worker.
The Reunion
Linh Nguyen’s cat, Patchy, had been missing since January. On Wednesday, she learned he was among the 92 animals, 80 cats and 12 dogs, removed from the Stuart, Florida, home of 77-year-old Gail Giustino, a longtime U.S. Postal Service letter carrier accused of hoarding animals in deplorable conditions.
“I feel like I got back a family member,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen said she had all but given up on finding Patchy after months of searching, and did not expect authorities to ever locate him.
How He Ended Up There
Investigators believe Giustino, who has worked for the Postal Service since 1997, had been picking up feral and stray cats she encountered along her mail route and bringing them home. Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek called it the worst animal hoarding case he has seen in the county, and said deputies spent about a week trying to get inside the home before Giustino cooperated.
Court records show Giustino was cited more than 40 times in 2015 over animal care violations, though that case was later dismissed. She now faces misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty and confining animals without adequate food, water or exercise.
Inside the Rescue
Deputies, Animal Control officers and Martin County Fire Rescue crews carried out the operation at Giustino’s home on Southwest Meadowlark Circle. Officials described the conditions inside as squalid, with no working air conditioning or ventilation despite outdoor temperatures topping 100 degrees.
The rescued animals are now being cared for at the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast, where staff say several are underweight and dealing with skin conditions, overgrown nails, dental disease and kennel cough. Some of the animals were found to have microchips, meaning more owners could still come forward to claim pets they may have long assumed were gone for good.
Investigation Still Open
None of the animals can be released for adoption yet, since the sheriff’s office investigation remains open. Authorities say they are continuing to work through the microchip records to identify additional owners, while the Humane Society keeps the animals under medical care in the meantime.
Source: CBS12 News
