Allegations of allowing children to live in a home with animal feces, dead rats and diseased cats led law enforcement officials to arrest a Buda couple on felony child endangerment charges.
The arrests come after a Hays County investigation led to the seizure of more than 170 total cats and dogs Nov. 1 which found many of the animals suffered from malnutrition and disease.
Thomas Caffey, 47, of Buda, was arrested Dec. 3 on two counts of Child Endangerment Criminal Negligence, a state-jail felony. Melissa Caffey, 49, of Buda, was arrested Dec. 4 on two counts of Child Endangerment Criminal Negligence, a state-jail felony, and 10 counts of cruelty to non-livestock animals, a third-degree felony.
According to an arrest affidavit, Hays County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to assist Animal Control Officers with seizing what was thought to be less than 100 animals from a residence Nov. 1 in the 200 block of Towhee Drive in the Leisurewoods subdivision.
Melissa Caffey, who was the homeowner, told authorities she owned and operated an animal rescue, but it had gotten “out of hand” over the past year. Living in the home was Thomas Caffey and his two children, Melissa Caffey and her son and an elderly woman who was not identified. According to the affidavit, Melissa Caffey was cooperative during the investigation.
A deputy who assisted in the seizure said the home was “completely uninhabitable,” according to the affidavit. Upon walking in, the deputy said there was an “inundating odor” of ammonia, feces, decomposition and urine in the residence. The deputy was only able to make it through two rooms of the house before they were overwhelmed and were forced to exit.
Prior to leaving the house, the deputy saw a small bird cage with approximately 15 “unhealthy” kittens inside. The kittens were skinny and covered in feces, according to the affidavit. Later, the deputy reviewed photos taken by animal control officers of animals that appeared malnourished, according to the affidavit. Other photos allegedly showed dead rats and feces that was “inches thick in areas, as well as trash and debris.
Melissa Caffey allegedly told authorities the two children lived with Thomas in a trailer in the backyard of the residence. She told authorities Thomas Caffey moved out of the home because the “animals had taken over.”
Authorities seized 161 cats and 15 dogs from the home; however, several animals died following the seizure, leading to a necropsy. Authorities discovered one cat had histoplasmosis, a fungal disease transferred through feces and is contagious to humans, according to affidavit. On Nov. 26, an animal control officer tested positive for histoplasmosis and was treated for the disease.
The majority of cats seized in the case were covered in ringworm due to living in feces, as well as suffering from dehydration and malnutrition, according to the affidavit. Several cats tested positive for feline AIDS or feline leukemia. Tests only acccounted for cats at a local animal hospital and not ones outsourced to other housing locations.
Thomas Caffey was released from the Hays County Jail on a $20,000 surety bond. Melissa Caffey is being held on $120,000 bond.
