ONALASKA, Wis., May 28 (UPI) -- A Wisconsin woman is accused of breaking into the Coulee Region Humane Society in Onalaska to take back some of the cats and kittens that were seized from her earlier this month.

Thanks to an anonymous tip, authorities have recovered 12 of the 15 felines that Lee Ann Shore allegedly took from the shelter.


The Humane Society received the animals after Shore's apartment was condemned in early May due to unsanitary conditions.

"They took out 17 cats, and the reason being that the living conditions were not suitable for people or animals," Humane Society executive director Heather Hankins told CBS Minnesota.

As it turns out, only eight of the cats that were taken previously belonged to Shore. "I think that was her sole goal was to get her cats back because she does love them. There's no denying that she loves her animals," Hankins said.

After the cats were found running around in an open field, police arrested Shore for burglary and she is expected to appear in court this week.

"We were grateful that those ones were found, there are still three that are out there that shouldn't be on their own," Hankins said.