Docs: Madison County Man Accused of Hoarding Cats

MADISON COUNTY, Ind. — Overpowering odors of ammonia, litter and feces. A home and property filled with at least 30 cats, with some being malnourished and others infested with fleas. Reports of a possible mass grave.

These are the conditions police say they encountered while responding to multiple calls claiming that a 73-year-old Madison County man had been hoarding several cats in deplorable conditions.

Initial investigation

On Friday, the Orestes Police Department announced the arrest of Gerald Neff following a several-month investigation. Police said a “substantial amount of probable cause” led to charges ultimately being filed against Neff, despite the department’s efforts to address the issues in a “non-criminal manner.”

Police began investigating Neff on May 20 after a caller reported observing multiple cats that they claimed belonged to Neff at his residence on E. Oak Street. The caller stated that several of the cats had come onto his property and defecated inside his shed and garage.

The caller told police that Neff intentionally cut holes out at the bottom of the fence to allow the cats “to come and go as they please.” The following month, police received another complaint from a resident who reported property damage as a result of cats they alleged belonged to Neff getting loose.

‘Unfit for both a human and vertebrate animal’: animal shelter employee’s account

As the investigation unfolded, police met and spoke with an employee at a local animal shelter. The employee told police that Neff had reached out to her a year prior and requested help with managing his cats. He explained that he had too many cats and was struggling to take care of them.

Police reviewed multiple text messages Neff allegedly sent to the employee, with several of them asking for help with purchasing food and not being able to take care of the cats in his home.

One message, dated July 1, 2025, reportedly said: “I have 8 kittens one mother they are on front porch and in bathrom please please please help.” I have buried fourth kitten yesterday God please help me.”

The employee told police she eventually had to block Neff’s number due to the large volume of messages he continued to send her. She initially agreed to assist him with food and other resources. She said that in exchange, Neff said he would surrender some of the cats to the animal shelter.

The employee went on to state that Neff eventually became uncooperative and refused to bring any cats to the facility to receive medical treatment or be spayed/neutered. The woman recalled believing at that time that Neff had around 40 cats inside and outside his home.

She recalled visiting his home for the first time and encountering a “high level of ammonia” as a result of cat urine that had been sitting inside the home for some time. She also recalled seeing multiple cats being completely infested with fleas.

She believed that Neff had anywhere between 50 and 70 cats inside his garage, home and throughout the property.

She noted that the conditions were reportedly “unfit for both a human and vertebrate animal to live in.”

On June 28, police heard from a woman with Ambassadors for God’s Creation, an animal shelter based in Anderson. She said Neff admitted to her that he had 45 cats with two litters of kittens and that he was struggling to provide food and medical care for them.

Later that day, the Orestes Police Department and the East Madison Fire Territory arrived at Neff’s residence alongside a HAZMAT unit. A member of the Madison County Health Department was also called to be present.

While speaking with Neff, he reportedly admitted that he had recently stopped eating “because he had to spend all of his money on feeding his cats.” He admitted that he was unable to take care of the cats and needed help getting some of them spayed so they could stop reproducing.

Neff allegedly told police that there had been a larger number of cats that “had to be put down” and that he “gets upset when he has to bury them in his yard.” A total of four cats were removed that day after the HAZMAT unit conducted ammonia level readings, which ranged between 8 and 11 parts per million.

The typical exposure limit for a human being exposed to ammonia levels is considered 25 ppm for eight hours. Of the cats that were taken, three of them were six months old and one of them had an “obvious eye injury” which appeared to be caused by some type of blunt trauma.

Court documents indicate that the initial plan was for the animal shelters and police to reach out every week and determine next steps in the process of relinquishing additional cats under Neff’s care, with priority being given to the cats needing medical attention or to be spayed and neutered.

‘Significantly uncooperative’

He reportedly agreed to continue setting traps to catch as many kittens and cats as he could as part of this process. On July 1, an officer responded to Neff’s home to provide him with additional resources. When they arrived, they observed Neff sitting on a bench in his front yard next to multiple empty beer cans.

He explained that he had to “put a cat down” on that day and that he started drinking alcohol because he was upset about it. During this conversation, Neff claimed that an animal shelter employee told him he could keep the kittens he initially agreed to catch.

The officer spoke with the employee, who determined that this was not true. She added that Neff had been uncooperative and had not been trapping the kittens as he had originally agreed, according to court documents.

An officer reported observing multiple makeshift cat shelters scattered throughout Neff’s property. Court documents revealed that multiple piles of cat litter were spread throughout the property.

The officer also located two cats that appeared to be missing a large amount of fur and malnourished. The officer and a representative of Ambassadors for God’s Creation then entered the home.

“Before even entering the home, the aroma of ammonia, feces and old litter was penetrating my N95 mask,” court documents said. As they entered his home again, they reported finding multiple litter boxes filled with feces, noting that the conditions inside the home were “significantly worse” compared to when the HAZMAT unit previously showed up.

Firearm discharged

Police learned from a witness that Neff allegedly shot and killed one of his cats with a .22 caliber after noticing that it was suffering from a seizure. He placed the cat on top of a wood pile that was sitting inside a 5-gallon wooden bucket before shooting the animal, court documents said.

“It should be noted that the wood located in this bucket is not an adequate backstop for a bullet and it could have easily traveled out of the side of the wooden bucket and out of his garage to hit neighboring houses,” court documents said.

Next steps

Neff turned himself in on Thursday after a warrant for his arrest was issued out of Madison Circuit Court 5. In the end, police revealed that at least 30 cats are currently being impounded.

Neff faces the following preliminary charges:

Cruelty to an Animal/Keeping ten or more animals in poor conditions (Level 6 Felony)
Cruelty to an Animal/Resulting in Death (Level 6 Felony)
Cruelty to an Animal (Class A Misdemeanor)

“The Orestes Police Department prioritizes the safety, health, and well-being of both people and animals. Residents of this Town have expressed their frustration with the damages that these cats that are under the care of Mr. Neff, as well as many feral cats throughout the Town, have caused to their property and health,” The Orestes Police Department said in a statement. “Our Police Department refuses to sit back and allow the inaction of the controlling of animals that are owned or cared for by certain individuals negatively affect the law-abiding residents of this Town.”