Irene Vandyke, a 51 year old New York Walmart worker, had 67 dead cats in her freezer.
Authorities from the Schoharie County Sheriff's Department and anima care workers removed 67 dead cats and 99 living cats and a couple of dogs from the filthy home in upstate New York last week. Three of the live animals were so sick they had to be euthanised.
Officials removed the cats from a residence in Wright, near Albany, on Wednesday night.
The dead cats were said to be packed in plastic bags in the freezer and the live cats were in crates stacked floor-to-ceiling.
Sheriff's deputies went to the property to investigate after a neighbor called to complain about the overpowering odor of cat urine and faeces.
The manager of the animal shelter that took in the cats said she had previously tried to try to help the woman who had "a hoarder mentality" The Wright, N.Y. may face charges. Her house was immediately condemned by officials due to health concerns.
Kerrie Colin, manager of the Animal Shelter of Schoharie in Howes Cave, N.Y., where the live felines were taken for medical treatment, said that she and others had tried to get Vandyke to reduce her feline population. Colin said it is the worst case of animal neglect the shelter has ever seen.
Colin said Vandyke was resistant to previous intervention efforts. "The minute anyone tried to take her cats, she freaked out and threw them off her property," Colin said. "She definitely had a hoarder mentality. She's not a horrible person. She just needs help and counseling."
