NEWARK, Ohio (AP) — Two women who ran an Ohio animal rescue operation have pleaded guilty to charges related to the abandonment of more than 20 cats in a trailer that was then tied shut.

They were charged in August after the Licking County Humane Society took custody of the cats left behind by the women’s Pittie Paw Rescue agency.

The Advocate in Newark reports animal rescue officials found 21 live cats and two dead in the central Ohio trailer, which had no food or water for the animals. One cat had to be euthanized.

Kristin Beaupry, of Centerburg, and Joyce Meisenhelder, of Heath, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of prohibitions concerning companion animals and abandoning animals.

Defense attorney Sam Shamansky says his clients recognized the seriousness of their misconduct.

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Information from: The Advocate, http://www.newarkadvocate.com