NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. -- Dozens of cats recently were euthanized because of a scabies scare at a Nassau County animal shelter.

"It was so bad, I had to make a decision. I had to make that decision to put them down to keep the rest of them healthy," said Brenda Rothwell of Nassau County Animal Care and Control.

Just over a week ago, 23 cats at the Nassau Animal Care and Control were euthanized because they were infected with scabies -- mites that infect the skin.

Rothwell said it was a difficult decision but that none of the infected cats' lives could be spared.

"If we had the quarantine space to put a total of 23 cats in one confined area and keep them away from the healthy one, then they could've been. But we don't have that space," Rothwell said.

She said she was notified of the outbreak early August. Staffers began treatments immediately, but Rothwell said the disease eventually became a threat to the entire cat kennel.

"It could've spread in the whole cattery because they were not confined in one area," she said.

However, a former volunteer at the shelter told Channel 4 a different story about the scabies issue. A copy of a letter Wills Shores wrote to Rothwell asked her to quarantine the cats before the scabies spread.

Shores said technicians began telling Rothwell of a scabies outbreak in July. However, Shores said Rothwell ignored their requests to treat and quarantine the cats several times until it was too late.

"No cat that I saw, had scabies to such an extent that it should've been euthanized, in my opinion," Shores said.

Nonetheless, Rothwell insisted staffers did all they could to save the cats. Interim County Coordinator Ted Selby agreed with Rothwell.

Rothwell said all of the remaining cats are healthy, but as a precaution five cats are being treated for scabies. The cat kennel at animal care and control was temporarily closed, the kennel is accepting cats but no cats are available for adoption.