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"Nobody's going to take my cats!"

Police: Upper Darby cat hoarder pulls gun on cops and PSPCA officers

Upper Darby cops and PSPCA police officers had a scary run-in today with a hardcore cat hoarder who pulled a gun on them when they tried to remove dozens of cats from her home on Leighton Terrace, police Superintendent Michael Chitwood Sr. said.

"The SPCA was getting suited up to go into the house and she ran inside and was screaming, 'Nobody's going to take my cats,'" Chitwood said of Denise Merget, 57. 

She pulled a .38-caliber revolver on the PSPCA officer and forced him out of the house. An Upper Darby cop then told her to drop the gun, and she eventually complied, Chitwood said. No shots were fired. Three additional handguns were recovered.

"The gun was fortunately empty, but she's lucky she didn't get killed," he said of Merget, who was charged with aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, making terroristic threats and weapons offenses.

With Merget under arrest, the PSPCA returned to their business.

"They took out in excess of 75 cats," Chitwood said.

Update: 6ABC has some photos of the cat raid