More than 80 cats found in "filthy" Butte home

MONTANA -- More than 80 cats were found in a Butte house earlier this week, living in filthy conditions, and the owner Douglas Dean Billman is nowhere to be found.

The cats were discovered living in a small home on Delaware Street that is filled with feces and urine.

 

A neighbor contacted Animal Control on Monday after complaining about rancid odor coming from the home.

Jacki Casagranda of the Butte Animal Shelter said she was shocked by the condition the home.

"It's unimaginable...there really, there's not words for what the condition of that house is. 'It's filthy' is just the tip of the iceberg," she said.

Police also reported finding more than a dozen dead animals inside the home.

The stench from the house was so bad it prompted next-door neighbor Aaron Wendling to call authorities on Monday. He said the odor was like nothing he'd ever smelled before.

Wendling said, "I worked with the sewage department and that was nothing compared to smell that was coming out of this house. Then I notice in that bathroom window back there, there was like five or six cats in a 10 inch by 9 inch window, so it was alarming and I figured it was time to call."

Butte police on Thursday were still trying to find the man who lives in the home, who could face felony charges of cruelty to animals.

In the meantime, animal shelter workers will continue removing and caring for the cats.

"We've been extracting them for the past couple days and will continue throughout the weekend to keep working on it, we've had a lot of support, the fire department, police have been amazing and wondering and helpful with us," she said.

(KTVQ Billings News-Jul 5, 2014)