SCHERTZ, Texas – Feces piles and a cat with its eye bulging outside of the socket were among the things officers found in a Schertz residence where 70 animals were abandoned, according to newly-obtained documents.
In an arrest affidavit, officers said they found 64 cats and six dogs recklessly abandoned and in immediate danger on July 27 at a residence on Hillbrook Drive near West Schaefer Road.
The single-wide trailer had a pungent smell, officers described, from feces and urine piled on furniture and inside dog kennels.
Maria Maxcimiana Soliz, 61, abandoned the residence, people in the area told officers, because she owed more than $11,000 in property taxes and could not afford to pay.
Maxcimiana Soliz was arrested on July 30 with Ricardo Antonio Guajardo, 56, who also lived at the property, for 70 counts of cruelty to non-livestock animals.
Upon entering the residence, officers said they were hit with a pungent smell from the feces as furniture was covered in animal excrement as well as roaches, spiders, flies and gnats.
Six dogs were found in kennels lined with feces and urine, without food or water, according to the affidavit.
The officer said one dog was inside the residence, while the other five were outside.
Three of the dogs outside were in their own kennels, according to the affidavit, while the remaining two were sharing a makeshift kennel.
One of the dogs found outside was malnourished, the affidavit said.
Officers said they collected 42 cats on July 27, before returning on July 28 to collect the remaining 24 cats at the property. Of the 64 total cats collected, nine were kittens.
The affidavit states a relative told police that the female cats were never neutered, and the cats kept having kittens. He said he did not know where the dogs came from.
The relative also told officers Maxcimiana Soliz’s mental state had been declining leading up to her abandoning the property, but did not want help.
Maxcimiana Soliz and Guajardo were sleeping outside under the carport, the relative told police, because power and electricity had been shut off for more than a month.
When Maxcimiana Soliz and Guajardo abandoned the home, the affidavit states the relative’s older brother picked them up and brought them to his home in Abilene.
Police said the influx of animals created an urgent need for several supplies at the Schertz shelter. Click here to find out how to donate.
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