Wake DA Will Not Seek Additional Charges In Cary Animal Neglect Case

On Wednesday, police found 80 cats in the home on Pamlico Drive.

Wake County Animal Control said many of the cats had mites and open sores. All but 26 of the cats were euthanized because of their poor health.

The remaining cats are being held at the Wake County Animal Shelter as evidence.

Cary police said a phone company technician tipped them off to the conditions at the house. Police said the cats were everywhere in the house, from beds to kitchen counters. They claimed the home was unsanitary and unfit for pets and people.

The house, where sisters Melissa and Christine Milam lived with their father Robert, was condemned on Wednesday. The women were were charged with animal cruelty, a misdemeanor.

Robert Milam is now in a nursing home, and adult protective services is investigating whether the women neglected him.

Police said in the past, Robert Milam has suffered several strokes. Last August, Cary EMS took him to the hospital because he was having trouble breathing.

The EMS chief said that the paramedic noticed some of the cats and the condition of the home. The information was also mentioned to a nurse at the hospital, but apparently that is as far as it went.

Cary EMS said that it did all it could and is under no legal obligation to report potential neglect.

Christine Milam said, "We love our dad. We have never been neglectful of our father."

She admitted to having too many cats, but said that they were all well-cared for.

The district attorney's office is looking into the case and may file additional charges against the daughters.