Putnam County, Florida – A Florida man has been arrested after five newborn kittens were found inside trash bags, with most later dying despite rescue efforts in a case that has sparked outrage across North Central Florida.
According to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded Saturday to a Hawthorne-area residence after a witness reported hearing kittens crying from inside a garbage can. The witness removed plastic bags from the trash and discovered five newborn kittens inside, still alive at the time.
Authorities allege that surveillance footage from a nearby home captured 36-year-old Tyler Holtz placing the bags into the trash. Deputies reported the kittens still had umbilical cords attached, indicating they were only hours old when they were abandoned.
Animal control officers responded and confirmed the kittens’ fragile condition. The mother cat was not located. A resident took custody of the animals and rushed them for emergency veterinary care in an attempt to keep them alive.
Holtz was arrested and charged with five counts of animal cruelty, including allegedly abandoning animals to die. He was booked into the Putnam County Jail on a $12,500 bond.
On Tuesday, deputies said they were informed that four of the kittens had died. One surviving kitten remains under treatment at a veterinary clinic in Ocala, Marion County.
