Police officers made a gruesome discovery after responding to a call about an overwhelming foul smell coming from an upstate New York home. Inside they found 67 dead cats and 99 living cats, some clinging to life.
According to the “The Washington Post,” the 67 dead cats were found in plastic bags in a freezer. The 99 living cats were stuffed inside crates stacked from the floor to the ceiling. The home was in deplorable condition and deputies were forced to wear respiratory gear as protection against the overwhelming stench as they removed the dead and living cats from the residence.
The woman living in the home is Irene Vandyke, a 50-year-old Walmart worker. It’s being reported that the death of Vandyke’s husband in 2010 may somehow have contributed to her cruel and exaggerated hoarding behavior.
The 99 living cats were taken to an animal shelter where Kerrie Colin, manager of the shelter, relayed that she had tried to help Vandyke in the past to no avail. “The minute anyone tried to take her cats, she freaked out and threw them off her property. She definitely had a hoarder mentality. She’s not a horrible person. She just needs help and counseling.”
Schoharie County Sheriff Tony Desmond shared his thoughts on the sad situation, “We felt sorry for her and bad for the kittens at the same time … I’d like to see her charged.”
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