The Story of a Cat Breeder & Animal Abuse

Cat expert's abuse trial begins

The Modesto Bee, California

May 7, 2002 Posted: 05:20:11 AM PDT

By MICHAEL G. MOONEY
BEE STAFF WRITER

Opening statements are scheduled for this morning in the animal cruelty trial of a nationally known cat expert.

Debra Rexelle faces 13 felony and four misdemeanor charges stemming from an August 2000 raid on her Nebraska Avenue home, just west of Modesto.

Attorneys started interviewing prospective jurors Monday afternoon in the courtroom of Superior Court Judge Terry K. Cole.

The 12-person jury, plus two alternates, was seated by 4 p.m. at the Stanislaus County Courthouse in downtown Modesto.

During the August 2000 raid, authorities rescued as many as 155 cats from Rexelle's home.

Officials described the conditions in and around the single-story house as deplorable. The remains of at least 50 cats and kittens also were uncovered.

More than 90 percent of the cats and kittens rescued from the home, a Sheriff's Department spokesman said at the time, either were injured or suffering from various virus-borne upper respiratory ailments.

Dr. Debbie Greer, the county veterinarian, said that while she believed the cats were neglected, she also found evidence of Rexelle trying to care for them.

For example, there were large bags of cat food in the house.

Many of the animals had their own water and food bowls, Greer said, though all the bowls were empty when authorities arrived at 6:40 a.m. the day of the raid.

The cats also had separate litter pans, Greer said, many of which were overflowing.

Rexelle is a nationally known authority on several breeds of rare and valuable cats, including Chartreux, Turkish van and Turkish angora. In addition to those breeds, a number of American curl and Japanese bobtail also were found at her home.

At the time of the raid, Rexelle was listed on an Internet site as a Turkish angora breeder.

Stanislaus officials said Rexelle did not hold either a county-required breeder's or business license.

Bee staff writer Michael G. Mooney can be reached at 578-2384 or mmooney@modbee.com.

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Animal cruelty trial begins

May 8, 2002 Posted: 05:25:07 AM PDT

By MICHAEL G. MOONEY
BEE STAFF WRITER

A woman who once was a good friend of Debra Rexelle's told a Stanislaus County jury on Tuesday that the cat breeder said she moved into a tent because her home was uncomfortable.

"In the summertime she would sleep in the tent," Debbi Smith said, "because it was too hot and she had no air conditioning in the house."

Smith said she eventually became worried about Rexelle's cats and called authorities.

When they searched Rexelle's home on Nebraska Avenue in August 2000, they reported finding 212 cats crammed into the single-story structure. Many of the animals were ill.

Officials said they also discovered the remains of as many as 50 cats at the home west of Modesto.

Rexelle is accused of 13 felony and four misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals. Her Superior Court trial, which began Tuesday morning, is expected to last six days.

"What you're going to hear," prosecutor Dave Harris told jurors before he called Smith to the witness stand, "is the secret of 331 Nebraska Ave. The secret is a cat breeder gone bad."

Harris told jurors that 60 of the 212 cats seized from Rexelle's home died or had to be destroyed.

Defense attorney Lisa Fitzgerald Wagner urged jurors to keep open minds as the evidence is presented in the coming days.

"Miss Rexelle, as she sits here today, is innocent," Fitzgerald Wagner told jurors. "Listen critically to all the witnesses. Listen to both sides of the story."

Fitzgerald Wagner, a deputy public defender, said some of the people who will testify against Rexelle are jealous of her success as a cat breeder and "have reason to lie."

Some of the cats that Rexelle is accused of abusing, the lawyer continued, did not belong to her, including four kittens that died.

"She had nothing to do (with the kittens)," Fitzgerald Wagner said, "but they charged them as felonies."

Fitzgerald Wagner said Rexelle was devoted to her cats and worked hard to keep them healthy.

"To her," the lawyer said, "these cats were very important, sort of like her children, if you will."

Smith, the first witness, said she met Rexelle at a cat show in 1990. Smith also breeds cats and said that she and Rexelle became close friends.

Smith, however, said she had differences with Rexelle over breeding techniques. Still, she continued to work with her and attend cat shows with her.

Things started to change, Smith said, in 1998. The woman said Rexelle no longer would let her in her Nebraska Avenue house when she would come to visit.

It was not until April 2000, however, that Smith became concerned about the well-being of the cats.

Smith said she grew increasingly worried about the number of cats that Rexelle was keeping and how she was caring for them. Smith said she noticed that some cats, being kept in cages in a backyard shed, were wet and soiled.

Testimony in the trial was expected to resume this morning before Judge Terry K. Cole.

Bee staff writer Michael G. Mooney can be reached at 578-2384 or mmooney@modbee.com.

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Officer recalls cats in squalor

   May 9, 2002 Posted: 05:50:07 AM PDT

By JOHN HOLLAND
 BEE STAFF WRITER

The head of Stanislaus County Animal Control testified Wednesday about finding more than 200 cats living in filth at Debra Rexelle's home west of Modesto.

Some cats lay in cages amid urine and feces, while others were loose at the Nebraska Avenue house, Animal Control Director Michael Rodriguez said.

"They were in very poor care and appeared to be neglected and needed to be removed from the residence," he said.

It was the second day of testimony in Rexelle's Superior Court trial on 13 felony and four misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals. She was arrested in August 2000, when investigators reported finding 212 live cats and up to 50 dead cats in and around her house.

Defense attorney Lisa Fitzgerald Wagner said in her opening statement Tuesday that Rexelle worked hard to keep her cats healthy. The attorney also said some of the testimony would come from cat breeders jealous of Rexelle's success.

Wednesday was devoted to witnesses called by prosecutor Dave Harris, along with a video and photos investigators took during the search.

Rodriguez told of finding cats throughout the small house, its attached garage and several sheds out back.

Some were in cages stacked almost to the ceiling, he said. Some lay in litter boxes that overflowed with their waste, and algae grew inside a water bottle hung on a cage, he said.

"Some had water, no food," Rodriguez said. "Some had no food, no water."

He noted how one cat's fur was soiled from having to live in those conditions.

Rodriguez also told of finding dead cats in a trash bin, a pickup truck, an inoperable freezer and other places.

Jurors showed little reaction as they looked at the video and projections of the photos. There were only a few light moments all day, such as when Rodriguez explained how cats normally take pains to keep their litter boxes tidy.

Animal services Sgt. Tom Hawkins recalled going to the house a few days before the arrest and encountering a "pretty bad" smell of ammonia even before Rexelle opened her front door. She refused to let him in, he said.

Rexelle was an award-winning breeder of rare cats and well-known among cat fanciers around the world. Rodriguez said the search warrant was obtained after he got complaints from a couple of fanciers who had dealt with her.

One was Dr. Dawn Varney, a psychiatrist at the University of Kansas. She testified Wednesday about a cat named Faith that she placed in Rexelle's care for about five years. When it was returned at a Sacramento hotel in 1999, Varney said, it was severely underweight and had a foul odor and matted fur.

"When I got Faith back, she was in terrible, terrible condition," she said.

Testimony before Judge Terry K. Cole is expected to run into early next week

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County animal workers testify in cat breeder's trial

           May 10, 2002 Posted: 06:35:08 AM PDT

By JOHN HOLLAND
 BEE STAFF WRITER

David Etcheverry, whose job includes retrieving dead animals, said he was revolted by what he saw Aug. 10, 2000.

He was among the Stanislaus County Animal Services employees who searched Debra Rexelle's house after complaints that it teemed with neglected cats.

"I pick up dead animals every day, so a dead animal doesn't bother me, and this was appalling," Etcheverry said Thursday at Rexelle's trial on charges of animal cruelty.

He said he found "easily 50-plus" cat carcasses in various stages of decomposition. They were in a freezer, in the bed of a pickup, in cat food bags and elsewhere at the Nebraska Avenue home, he said.

Other Animal Services employees testified Thursday about finding 212 cats living amid their own waste in the house, garage and back yard at the property west of Modesto.

Rexelle, a widely known breeder of rare cats, is charged in Superior Court with 13 felony and four misdemeanor counts.

Carolyn Conser, an animal care specialist for the county, said she was "nearly knocked down" by the ammonialike odor of urine when she entered Rexelle's house.

Conser said the living room was "like a warehouse of cages." She described the scene as "sad" and "disgusting," words that Judge Terry K. Cole told the jury to ignore because they were "value" judgments.

About the rescued cats, Conser said, "They were not pets. They were just grubby-looking, matted cats with a dull appearance about them."

Michael Rodriguez, director of Animal Services, testified Wednesday that cats were living in filth in Rexelle's house, without enough food or water.

Defense attorney Lisa Fitzgerald Wagner spent part of Thursday asking Rodriguez about details, such as the exact number of dead cats, the places where specific live cats were found, and the condition of cages and litter boxes.

Rodriguez said he did not recall all the details but believed that the cats were living in bad conditions.

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Breeder's cats described as gaunt, dirty

May 11, 2002 Posted: 05:45:09 AM PDT

By JOHN HOLLAND
  BEE STAFF WRITER 

One by one Friday, Stanislaus County veterinarian Deborah Greer described the 212 cats found living at Debra Rexelle's house west of Modesto."This little guy had no flesh on him to speak of at all," Greer said of the animal listed as cat 32. "He didn't even lift his head. This little guy was really suffering."

Greer testified on the fourth day of Rexelle's trial in Stanislaus County Superior Court on 13 felony and four misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty.

Earlier witnesses spoke mostly of squalid conditions at the Nebraska Avenue house -- cats loose and in stacked cages, many lying in their own waste without enough food or water. They also told of finding about 50 dead cats when the house and yard were searched on Aug. 10, 2000.

Greer, who oversees veterinary care for the county Department of Animal Services, told of finding ear mites, respiratory infections, tooth and gum diseases, low weights, dehydration and other problems." The animals were just living in deplorable conditions, and I believe they were suffering," Greer said. Seventy-nine of the 212 live cats ended up dying, from either their ailments or euthanasia, she said. 

Earlier Friday, Steven Baker, a private veterinarian in Modesto, told of the seven cats that he examined after they were removed from the house. Most had problems similar to what Greer found. One died, but the rest recovered, Baker said. 

Both veterinarians said the dirty coats on many were unusual for cats. "As a rule, cats tend to groom themselves fairly well because they don't like to be soiled and dirty," Baker said. Testimony is scheduled to continue Monday before Judge Terry K. Cole.

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Witness claims animal control mishandled cats

May 15, 2002 Posted: 05:25:09 AM PDT

By MICHAEL G. MOONEY
BEE STAFF WRITER

A cat breeder, testifying for the defense, criticized Stanislaus County animal control for its handling of the cats seized in an August 2000 search of Debra Rexelle's home.

Rexelle, a nationally recognized expert on several rare breeds of cats, is charged with 13 felony and four misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty. Her trial entered its seventh day Tuesday in Superior Court.

Marina Schmidt, the first witness Tuesday called by defense attorney Lisa Fitzgerald Wagner, said she co-owned a number of cats with Rexelle.

Schmidt testified that she paid animal control about $1,400 to adopt 19 of the 212 cats authorities took from Rexelle's home.

"Fleas were jumping off them," Schmidt said. "They all had upper respiratory (infections) and ringworm.

"A veterinarian told me I should report the shelter they came from for bad conditions."

The cats were reported with similar maladies when they were taken from Rexelle's home.

Prosecutor Dave Harris, during his cross-examination of Schmidt, showed photographs of conditions at Rexelle's home the day of the raid.

"I've seen worse," Schmidt said.

Later, Schmidt told Harris that she did not believe animal control's account of what authorities have described as the deplorable conditions found at Rexelle's home.

Schmidt, like other defense witnesses, said the cats Rexelle brought to shows always appeared to be in excellent health.

Testimony in the trial was expected to resume this morning before Judge Terry K. Cole.

Bee staff writer Michael G.Mooney can be reached at 578-2384 or mmooney@modbee.com.

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Breeder denies she was cruel

May 17, 2002 Posted: 05:25:08 AM PDT

By JOHN HOLLAND
 BEE STAFF WRITER

Debra Rexelle testified Thursday in her own defense in an animal cruelty case, saying she gave good care to 200-plus cats living at her home west of Modesto.

Also, Rexelle said she kept dead cats on the property, waiting for them to become skeletons, which could be used by researchers.

Later in Stanislaus County Superior Court, the judge turned the case over to the jury of eight men and four women. They were due to start their deliberations at 9 a.m. today.

Rexelle denied claims by animal control workers that she kept the live cats in filthy conditions and did not provide enough food, water or health care.

"I took care of my cats before I did anything for myself," she said. "I wouldn't have been feeding them and trying to find homes for them if I didn't care for them."

Rexelle is standing trial on 13 felony and four misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty. Investigators who raided her Nebraska Avenue home in August 2000 said they found 212 live cats, about 50 dead cats and an excessive amount of animal waste.

Rexelle said the cats included pedigreed types that she bred and sold, as well as strays she tried to place with owners.

She said she spent at least eight hours a day making sure they had food, water, medication and clean enclosures. She also said they got exercise.

"Never, never," Rexelle said when defense attorney Lisa Fitzgerald Wagner asked if she mistreated the cats.

Rexelle said her cat breeding and sales did not make a profit, and she has struggled to pay her bills. Shoulder problems forced her to retire from the Postal Service, she said, and she receives a small annuity.

Rexelle said she did not realize she had so many cats until the raid. "I never counted them," she said. "I was busy taking care of them."

She acknowledged leaving dead cats in a broken freezer and at other places around the property. "It smelled, yes," she said of the freezer in the garage.

Rexelle said she left dead cats to rot outside until each was a "clean skeleton" that could be used by breed researchers, such as a University of California at Davis student who studied Chartreux.

"I had several projects in mind for them," Rexelle said. "You need a large number of skeletons in any particular breed for anyone to do any study or comparison."

In her closing argument, Fitzgerald Wagner said the stench reported by investigators is typical of catteries and veterinary hospitals. The attorney said photographs indicated that Rexelle's cats got enough food and water.

Fitzgerald Wagner also said the complaints that prompted the raid came from two rival cat fanciers who had never been to the house.

"You may not like the way she lived her life or the interests that she had," Fitzgerald Wagner told the jury, "but that's not criminal conduct."

Prosecutor Dave Harris, in his closing argument, said Rexelle's cruelty was clearly shown by photographs, the testimony of animal control workers and other evidence.

"It was obvious that these cats needed some place else to be," he said. "It was obvious that these conditions were inappropriate. They did not amount to shelter. They did not amount to good care."

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Keeper of 212 cats found guilty of cruelty

May 18, 2002 Posted: 05:10:06 AM PDT

By JOHN HOLLAND
BEE STAFF WRITER

A jury on Friday convicted Debra Rexelle on eight of 17 counts of cruelty to cats at her home west of Modesto.

Rexelle, who acknowledged keeping more than 200 cats at the Nebraska Avenue home, is due to return to Stanislaus County Superior Court for sentencing on June 14.

She faces up to three years in prison for each of four felonies and one year in jail for each of four misdemeanors, prosecutor Dave Harris said.

"We're satisfied that the issue has been resolved," he said. "We think the jury reached a just verdict."

Later Friday, Rexelle said she plans to appeal the verdict.

Twelve of the felony counts cited a single cat each; Rexelle was convicted on four of them. She was found innocent on the 13th felony count, dealing with 50 dead cats found at the home.

Rexelle was found guilty on all four misdemeanor counts, involving conditions in different parts of the property where cats were kept.

Juror Dawn Moore said the evidence, such as photographs of cats and testimony by veterinarians, was not conclusive on all the counts.

"I think the main thing on a lot of the felony counts was that we couldn't actually prove that she intentionally did it," she said.

The juror also said she was sometimes close to tears as she heard the graphic testimony.

Prosecution witnesses said they found 212 live cats during an August 2000 raid at Rexelle's house. They said many of the animals were living amid their own waste and did not have enough food, water or veterinarian care.

Witnesses also said they found dead cats in various stages of decay in a broken freezer and at other places on the property.

County Animal Services obtained a search warrant after getting complaints from two women who knew Rexelle through her cat-breeding business.

Harris, in his closing statement Thursday, called the conditions "the dirty little secret about a cat breeder gone bad."

Rexelle testified Thursday that she did not realize that she had so many cats, but she nonetheless was providing them with adequate food, water, medications and shelter.

Friday night, in a call to The Bee, she said Animal Services inspected her cattery in February 2000 and found no problems. Just weeks before the August raid, animal control officers who came to her house cited her for having too many cats, but they found no other problems, Rexelle said.

"I've never had so many things said about me that weren't true," Rexelle said.

In her closing argument, Rexelle's attorney, Lisa Fitzgerald Wagner, said: "It might not have been done in a pretty way or in shinier cages, but she provided all of these things," referring to food, water and other care.

Fitzgerald Wagner said jealousy about Rexelle's success in the cat-fancier world was behind the complaints that prompted the raid.

The jury of eight men and four women heard eight days of testimony and started deliberating at 9 a.m. Friday. They returned the verdict at about 4:30 p.m.

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Source:  Animal People, June, 2002

Prominent show cat breeder Debra Rexelle, 50, was on May 17 convicted of four felonies and four misdemeanors pertaining to the alleged gross neglect of 212 cats found at her rented home near Modesto, California, in August 2000.  She was acquitted of nine other charges, including a felony count relating to the
discovery of about 50 dead cats at the same site.

Rexelle was fined for keeping more than 50 cats on the property without the correct license in 1993, but claimed to have passed an inspection by local animal control officers in February 2000.

Cat Fanciers Association board member Joan Miller and show judge Lindajean Grillo were called by the defense.  Each testified that Rexelle took exemplary care of the cats they saw, but they acknowledged having never
visited Rexelle at her home.  Defense attorney Lisa Fitzgerald Wagner argued that Rexelle was framed by jealous rivals. Rexelle claimed the dead cats were left to rot in order to salvage their skeletons for scientific study.

"Rexelle was immediately suspended from all CFA activities and registration services as soon as the CFA board was made aware of the raid and impoundment,
and on preliminary investigation by the CFA Animal Welfare Committee," Miller told Animal People.  "At a CFA board of directors hearing she was permanently suspended from all CFA services and activities for life, commencing on February 4, 2001 ."

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