Woman Who Hoarded Cats Sentenced to Prison Term

A woman described by authorities as one of the most notorious cat hoarders in the San Fernando Valley was sentenced to two years in state prison Friday, just weeks after she violated terms of her probation by returning her beloved felines to her home.

Animal control officers had been tracking Cybelle St. James for years, regularly fielding complaints that she kept up to 30 cats at her home, said Lt. Robert Pena, of the city department of animal regulation.

St. James was convicted in 1993 of fraud and animal cruelty for keeping dozens of cats in unsanitary conditions and selling them for hundreds of dollars to cat fanciers duped into believing common alley cats were sleek, pedigreed pure-breds.

A court sentenced her to one year in Los Angeles County Jail and ordered that she pay more than $6,000 in restitution, receive counseling and live without cats and dogs. She was placed on probation for five years.

But St. James, who says she’s a 45-year-old graduate of Cambridge University in Great Britain, never bothered to show up for her probation or counseling sessions, and never paid restitution, authorities said.

A warrant was issued for her arrest in 1994.

After her conviction, she moved into a Van Nuys townhouse with 34-year-old Debbie Pepper Rubenstein and brought her two cats, Bugsy and Vampira.

By September, Bugsy and Vampira had kittens, and by December, Rubenstein called animal control authorities.

The animal control officer scarcely needed to open her door, Pena said.

“He was able to smell a very bad odor,” Pena said. “It was the kind of odor that goes with maintaining animals in unsanitary conditions.”

Once inside, the officer found the room stuffed with boxes, cat litter and droppings. They also found documents indicating St. James had been making a living as a psychic, Pena said.

She was arrested for violating her probation and held without bail.

“It is not the most common type of case,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Eduards Abele, the prosecutor. He said the case nonetheless should send the message that animal-cruelty cases would be seriously prosecuted.

St. James showed no reaction to the ruling by Superior Court Judge Sandy Kriegler that sent her to prison, Pena said.

“She was concerned about her vitamins,” Pena said. “She’s not all there, this lady.”