Man keeps 3 dogs, 4 cats in dirty car

Virginia Beach police arrested a man on Monday charged with four counts of animal cruelty after animal control responded to a call where they discovered seven animals--three dogs and four cats--stuck inside a Volkswagon Vanagon in a parking lot.

The cats were in pet carriers and the dogs were loose inside the van. The owner of the vehicle was staying in a hotel adjacent to the parking lot; a friend of the van owner, Ira L. Shader, 58, of Myrtle Beach, S.C., claimed ownership of the animals.

The cats in the pet carriers were thin and the carriers were filled with excrement. The dogs were healthier, and their surroundings were not as dirty. The cats were taken to the local veterinarian to be checked out.

Shader was arrested Monday at the Virginia Beach Animal Control Shelter and is being held at the Virginia Beach Correctional Facility on a $2,500 bond. The owner of the van was given 24 hours to clean it.

The cats will be kept at the animal shelter in Virginia Beach until February 16, at which point they will either return to Shader, or be relinquished to animal control, pending a seizure hearing.