Authorities in Texas rescued dozens of cats from a Houston-area home last week.
Police received an anonymous tip that led officers to the home of elderly twin sisters on Thursday. Responders found more than 100 cats in various states of poor health amid the squalor.
Animal waste was piled four feet high in places, and some of the cats had burrowed into the filth, according to Fox News. Odors in the home were so intense that officers had to wear gas masks during the five-hour rescue effort.
"When I opened the front door, there was trash and feces everywhere and everything in the home was covered in stuff," SPCA spokeswoman Meera Nandlal told ABC News. "You can smell the ammonia of the feces and urine not only when you open the front door, but even from the street."
Nandal said the cats were suffering from a variety of ailments. Some were emaciated or balding, and others had respiratory conditions that caused them to bleed from their noses. The decomposing carcass of one cat was found inside the house.
It's unlikely that charges will be filed against the sisters. One of them was taken to an area hospital, and the other has been placed in the custody of Adult Protective Services.
Police advised the women not to live in the house for now.
Some neighbors were shocked to learn that so many cats had been living in the house.
"We never seen like crowds of cats running around. They kept it quiet," neighbor George Golchenko told KTRK.
The cats will be evaluated and treated, then put up for adoption.
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