Nashville, Tennessee – A 64-year-old woman is facing 11 felony counts of animal cruelty after officers rescued 11 overheated cats and kittens from a parked car in an Old Hickory neighborhood on Saturday. By the time the situation was discovered, the interior of Sharon Basham’s vehicle was dangerously hot at 105 degrees and the felines trapped inside were in extreme distress.
A Metro Animal Care and Control officer was informed that cats were in a car parked near the dam on Swinging Bridge Road. Some of the kittens inside were described as “near death” by the time help arrived. The cats and kittens in the vehicle were said to be covered in urine and feces, and malnourished.
A Metro Nashville Police Department officer responded to the scene and took Basham into custody. She is charged with 11 counts of aggravated animal cruelty and is due in court on October 23.
The cats and kittens were taken to an area animal shelter for care.
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