MADISON COUNTY, Fla. – The owner of Caboodle Ranch admitted at a hearing last week he has 45 cats on his property, which violates the county ordinance of 30. It also violates the court order entered when he reached a plea agreement in his animal neglect case last year.
Caboodle owner Craig Grant told the judge he was moving out of Florida and taking the cats with him.
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The judge gave him until Oct. 1 to do so, told him not to collect any more animals, and said there could be unannounced inspections.
In May 2013, Grant, who's from Ponte Vedra Beach, reached an agreement with prosecutors allowing him to avoid a trial on animal cruelty charges if he pays court costs, receives counseling and complies with the county's limit on the number of domestic animals kept.
Grant owns the animal sanctuary where nearly 700 cats were seized in 2012.
Grant had maintained he was giving a home to animals no one else wanted. (Pictured on his ranch in 2008)
After they were seized, most of the cats were nursed back to health and adopted out at shelters around Jacksonville.