NEW YORK -- Animal rescuers in upstate New York are finding themselves overwhelmed after finding 150 cats in the home of a known hoarder.
Police were called to the home for a safety check on the residents when they found the felines. The cats were in the walls and packed into the house.
"The house is in a deplorable condition. This is not what we expected to find," said Sgt. S.P. Dauphinais.
The teams had to wear hazmat suits as the house was infested with fleas.
'The house has a very strong ammonia smell to the amount of burning your eyes,' said the humane society's director of operations, Tina Murray.
'It cannot be good for you long term, I mean it's obviously not good for the animals so it cannot be good for humans,' said Murray.
The cats were found to have eye infections, respiratory infections and to be anemic.
'They are all sick. We are finding in the first few the vet has looked at, that they are all covered in fleas, worms, respiratory infections. The kittens are in especially bad shape,' said Brad Shear, Executive Director of the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society.
The rescuers at Mohawk Hudson Humane Society are seeking canned cat food donations and monetary donations to purchase antibiotics.
The house belongs to Bertha A. Ryan, who was stopped in 2010 with her sister Regina Millard and 77 cats in two cars while driving in Vermont.
In 2012, 130 suffering cats were removed from Bertha and Mary Ryan's home. Bertha's husband, Arthur Millard and their son Earl Millard have also been involved.
A further 100 cats were removed from the family's other home in Halfmoon.
A total of 450 cats have been involved in incidents with the Ryans.
(UPI - Oct 30, 2014)
