LINCOLN – A LaGrange woman, whose 49 cats were seized from her home, avoided jail time on charges of animal cruelty, but a District Court judge ruled on Tuesday that she no longer is allowed to own or possess animals.

Each of the seized cats removed in February from the home of Mary Delgizzi, 44, had to be euthanized.

Delgizzi was sentenced in 13th District Court in Lincoln to six months in jail, but Judge Kevin Stitham suspended the entire sentence.

Instead, she was ordered to serve one year of administrative release, a form of probation, and will pay a fine of $250 and $1,688 in restitution for animal removal costs.

Conditions of Delgizzi’s administrative release stipulate that she: follow a therapist’s recommendation, be subject to unannounced inspections of her home by animal welfare representatives and police officers and participate in programs at Northeast Occupational Exchange in Bangor.

Delgizzi pleaded guilty to the charge on June 7. She faced a maximum of 364 days in jail for animal cruelty, a Class D crime.

The 49 felines were seized on Feb. 8 after state animal welfare officials obtained a search warrant for the woman’s LaGrange mobile home, which was described as “a giant litter box,” with layers of feces and cat urine covering the floor and a horrible stench pervading the trailer.

Judge Stitham granted the state ownership of the cats during a civil hearing in February, and they were split between the Bangor Humane Society and the Kennebec Valley Humane Society in Augusta.

The animals suffered from ringworm, upper respiratory infections, feline leukemia and other ailments and, less than two weeks after they were seized, all 49 cats had to be euthanized.