Nadia Wasserman said the smell from her next-door neighbor's townhouse last summer was "horrible."
"We have a deck and could not enjoy it because of the smell," she said. "Then the wind would blow, and you would think you live in a barn."
What Wasserman smelled was cats. Today, her neighbors - Ayten Icgoren, 79, and Nese Enetullah Icgoren, 50, who share a house in the 7300 block of Swan Point Way - are scheduled for trial in Howard County District Court on more than 200 counts of animal cruelty.
The mother and daughter lost one battle this week, when the Howard County Board of Appeals denied them custody of three cats impounded from their Columbia townhouse in August during the seizure of 75 sickened and dead cats.
They are charged with 225 counts of animal cruelty, including 75 counts of inflicting unnecessary suffering and pain, and 75 counts of failure to provide proper care for the cats. Each of the misdemeanor counts carries a fine of up to $1,000 and 90 days in jail. The women are also charged with 75 misdemeanor counts of violating the Howard County animal cruelty code. Each count carries a fine of up to $1,000.
Ayten Icgoren was also charged with one count of interfering with an investigation, a county violation that carries as much as a $150 fine.
During the search of the residence in August, police and county animal-control officers described cat urine and feces throughout the home, including on stairs, floors and countertops, according to charging documents. Officials also found two boxes of decomposing dead cats and other dead cats in a closet with maggots and other insects, the document said.
Animal-control officers impounded 58 live cats and 17 dead ones.
Police said 50 of the live cats were euthanized.
T. Wayne Kirwan, a spokesman for the county state's attorney's office, declined to comment about the trial. Joseph Murtha, who represents the Icgorens, did not return phone calls seeking comment.
On Monday, the Howard County Board of Appeals ruled that it had not found sufficient evidence to have the Animal Matters Board reopen the case regarding its October decision to not allow Ayten Icgoren to take custody of the three cats that were seized.
Ayten Icgoren appealed because she believes the Animal Matters Board acted unfairly by not allowing her sufficient time to prove her case, according to a document she submitted to the board.
