Neenah woman accused of leaving seven cats behind in a foreclosed house

NEENAH, Wis. (WBAY) - A Neenah woman is charged with abandoning seven cats who died in her former home last year.

According to a criminal complaint, Jennifer McDonald is charged with mistreatment of animals and intentionally abandoning animals. The cats lived in a McDonald's former home, which she had left behind after it foreclosed.

On April 27, the criminal complaint said a subcontractor for a local bank was inspecting the house as part of the foreclosure process and found multiple deceased cats, cat skeletons, and bones.

The criminal complaint said when police were called to investigate the home, the inside of the house was found to be in extreme disarray, with lots of garbage, personal items, and furniture. The odor was very strong. There was a lot of feces throughout the home.

There were also empty bags of cat food lying around the house, some had been torn open and were covered in animal teeth marks.

The complaint said in total, the remains of seven deceased cats were located within the house: one in the basement, one in the kitchen, one in the hallway, three in the front room, and one on the upper landing.

Based on the evidence observed on scene, the complaint said it appears that the cats had cannibalized each other after other food sources were no longer available.

When questioned by police, the complaint states McDonald changed her story multiple times regarding the cats. She first said she got rid of the cats before moving out, then she said she and her daughter would come by weekly to feed the cats and leave the door open. Afterwards, McDonald claimed her daughter checked the house and could not locate any cats.

According to the complaint, McDonald admitted that it was possible the cats remained beyond that point but she "didn't care anymore." When asked when she last saw the cats, she stated it would have been toward the end of 2025, around the same time she stopped going to the house.

The complaint said McDonald acknowledged that she did not know if anyone was supposed to be caring for the cats after that. She admitted that there was a possibility that the cats were never let out of the house. She confirmed in the complaint that the doors were also closed when they left the house. McDonald confirmed that other than herself and her daughter, no one else would have had access to the house.

According to the complaint, McDonald admitted that she should have done things differently. She stated, "I did great raising my two kids and having a house, and then everything turned upside down. And I just got lost and didn't know what to do anymore. Bad excuse, but explanation."

When police told her the cats had cannibalized each other, the complaint said McDonald became emotional and expressed remorse. The complaint said she stated, "I did not handle it very well at all" and "I totally dropped the ball on this and I feel horrible."

She stated she got overwhelmed with everything going on in her life.

Online court records show a court date scheduled for July 7 at 8:45 a.m. in Winnebago County Court for the case.