The 81-year-old homeowner was taken away for psychiatric evaluation after the flea-ridden animals were found in the East Falls, Philadelphia house.
Conditions inside the house were not fit for the owner, Majorie Bamont, or the malnourished animals being kept there, animal rescue officers said.
They had been trying to gain access to the landmark home for months, after receiving numerous complaints.
On Thursday an officer spotted a dead cat in the porch and, when staff went inside they discovered 14 others that looked sick, according to CBS Philly.
'A lot of them were very thin in need of medical care,' George Bengal, of Pennsylvania SPCA, said.
He added that the woman used to run a rescue center but it had 'turned into a hoarder situation'.
Rescue staff described the house, built by Grace Kelly's father in 1929, as being covered in cat waste and infested with fleas.
Ms Bamont, who could face animal cruelty charges, bought the property in 1973 and was living there alone.
The house is a landmark property because of its links to movie-star turned princess Grace Kelly, who went from a Hollywood career to being Princess of Monaco.
One of her neighbors, Alexis Franklin, told Fox 29: 'She was always an animal lover and dog rescuer. People have been known to drive up to her property and drop off cats and dogs not upon request, and she was good at finding homes for them.'
She added: 'It's pretty sad. I know she's aging so it may have to do with age and not having the ability to do what she used to.'
Ms Bamont has been involuntarily committed according to Fox 29.
(Daily Mail - Nov 1, 2013)
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