It’s the final chapter in a horrible animal cruelty case in Blue Bell, Montgomery County.
A woman was sentenced Wednesday after 37 cats and kittens were found dead inside her Whitpain Township home last month. Authorities say she left them in the house with no food and water for six months.
Neighbors say the pungent smell coming from the house in the 800 block of Whitpain Hills Drive was incredible. Steve Vereb lives next door and contacted the neighborhood’s management company when the smell became unbearable.
“One of the plumbers broke into the window and noticed a real strong odor, climbed in, came out about 20 seconds later, running out -- covered with fleas from head to toe,” Vereb said.
Patricia Wiehler, 50, pleaded guilty to 14 counts of animal cruelty. Wiehler could have gotten 90 days in jail for each of the 14 counts. That adds up to more than 3 years in prison.
Instead, she was sentenced to four years of probation, 400 hours of community service, and ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation.
She is not allowed to own any animals during the probation period. The SPCA has Wiehler's name on record and will pass it along to other shelters so she cannot adopt any other animals.
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Montgomery County Prosecutor Abby Silverman said Wiehler told police she left the animals unattended in the home to care for her ailing mother. But that was only 25 minutes away, still in Montgomery County.
“What bothered me is she woke up everyday and made the decision not to change the situation. She had six months to change what was happening in that house, and she never bothered to. She could have called the SPCA or any animal rescue organization and they would have helped the cats,” Silverman said.
