The remains of 40 dead cats were found in a Paso Robles apartment in such poor condition that it was red-tagged by the city and a private hazmat team was required to clean up piles of feces and debris.

The 16th of August San Luis Obispo County Animal Services responded to an anonymous complaint at Unit 4 of the Presidio Apartments complex in Paso Robles. There, they discovered 40 dead cats in “extremely unsanitary conditions,” Animal Services Director Eric Anderson wrote in a statement to The Tribune.

“Six live cats were also removed from the property,” Anderson said, adding that Animal Services was not responsible for hiring cleanup.

A woman who was part of the hazmat team hired to clean up the second-floor apartment shared disturbing photos of the interior, which showed rooms filled with layers of cat feces and miscellaneous trash, according to a story posted by the Paso Robles Daily News.

In the bathroom, cat feces filled the bathtub to the brim. In other rooms, the faeces were mixed with empty cans and broken bottles, soiled bedclothes and other rubbish that appeared to have been packed away in layers.

The woman, Nicole Fernandes, said she worked on the job for three days, but it took two weeks to complete and wasn’t finished until Wednesday. Yet the stench from inside on Friday could still be felt outside the door.

“The cats were dead for so long, there were no flies, there were no caterpillars or bugs,” she told the Paso Daily News. “This wasn’t just a year or two of things,” she said. “It was years and years.”

It’s unclear how long the apartment was in that condition or when someone last lived there, but Fernandes said neighbors reported a woman regularly visiting with a large bag of cat food.

“The power was still on in the unit, there was some food in the fridge that hadn’t gone moldy,” she told the Daily News, adding that there was “ice cream in the freezer that had never melted.”

Animal Services said the case is actively under investigation. Anyone with information should contact the agency at 805-781-4400 or by email at [email protected].

House filled with layers of feces and remains

Fernandes, resident of Paso Robles, told the Paso Robles Daily News that she was hired to help clean the apartment.

“I was asked if I could help clean up a hoarder’s home, but it was so much worse than that,” she told the Paso Daily News. “I was just horrified. I work in a mortuary and I’ve dealt with decomposition and I’ve never experienced anything as bad as this. Nothing compares to the horrible smell.”

“I cried myself to sleep at night after the first day because we just pulled those layers back,” Fernandes said. “It would be like a layer of cat s–t, then two big empty bags of cat food, then a layer of cat s–t, then a blanket on top covering it, and then another layer of cat s– t . It was all piled up three feet deep. I found most of the remains of the dead cats in the piles.”

In a comment thread below Daily News Facebook post sharing the storyFernandes added, “We found at least another 20, but it’s hard to get an exact count because there were so many bones scattered throughout the cat litter-infested unit. Literally need therapy after what I went through to get this clean.”

The building is red marked and considered unsafe for entry

Paso Fire and Rescue responded to a health and safety call at the same address on Aug. 16, according to Officer Randy Harris.

“It was deemed unsanitary and then red flagged by the Paso Robles building department,” Harris said of the apartment, meaning it was unsafe for people to be in for any length of time without shelter.

A security warning on the building reads “excessive amounts of feces throughout the apartment. No access except by authorized cleaning staff.”

Harris said he remembered seeing a report that the apartment appeared to be occupied at the time.

The apartment was empty for about a year, say the owner and neighbors

The Presidio Apartments are located at 1040 Chestnut St. The complex is owned by the Jacqueline J. Bryant Trust, according to County Sheriff Tom Bordonaro.

A receipt for the seized items posted on the building by county Animal Services lists Laurie Bryant as the owner of “40 deceased feline remains” and “six live cats.”

The Tribune contacted the phone number on the message. A woman who identified herself as Jacqueline Bryant answered. She said she owns the complex and Laurie Bryant manages it, but declined to comment further.

The Tribune also reached out to Laurie Bryant, who told The Tribune she was advised by legal counsel not to comment further on the incident.

Bryant previously offered comments to the Paso Robles Daily News regarding the incident. She told the Daily News that the apartment was empty in October 2023.

“We don’t really know what’s going on (with the situation),” Bryant said, according to the Daily News. “I was out of town for three days when this all came down. We’re cooperating with the county. We’re cooperating with the city. We’re doing everything we can to correct the situation.”

“What I do know is that there was a bunch of feral cats in the house across the street for years,” the Daily News reported Bryant as saying. “Apparently two windows were open and some cats got in and died.”

Neighbors confirmed to The Tribune that the apartment had been vacant for about a year and named Laurie Bryant as the last tenant they knew of.

Neighbors told The Tribune they didn’t know anything about the deceased cats or the condition of the apartment until this week, but they had contacted both Bryant and Animal Services after seeing some stray cats coming and going from the apartment through a broken screen window. The neighbors did not disclose the date they reported their concern.

A notice from Animal Services following the seizure of the building names Laurie Bryant for an alleged violation of the Penal Code 597(B) for crimes against animals.

Violation of the code can be treated as a felony or misdemeanor and is punishable by up to one year in prison and a $20,000 fine.

Apartment manager quits the newsgroup

Laurie Bryant is known to the wider public for being one of the founders of the Facebook group SLO County News, which shares breaking news from around the county.

As of Friday, Bryant had left the organization, said a post on the group’s Facebook.

“We are sorry to announce that due to personal matters, Laurie Bryant has resigned from her position with the SLO County News,” the post read. “During this time, we will continue to report only the facts. There is not and will continue to be no drama, accusations or derogatory comments on this wall.”

The group asked members to “continue to show respect for each other” in posts on the page.

“We thank Laurie for years of service and dedication,” the post concluded. “And we will continue to maintain the original vision inspired by SLOStringer.”