LIVONIA, Mich. – Cat after cat, after cat was removed from a Livonia home on Thursday: more than 50 animals in all.
The Michigan Humane Society and Animal Control removed the cats from a home on the 3100 block of Wentworth.
The owner of the home is a Vietnam Veteran who reportedly just got overwhelmed by the animals.
"It's sad but I'm glad to see that something is happening at least now," said neighbor Kenneth Caldwell.
Caldwell says he has lived in the neighborhood for decades and there has never been a problem, until recently when he and other neighbors smelled a strong order coming from the home.
"You walk in and whoa over powering. It about put you to the floor, you'd want to vomit and get sick. Like I said I'd be surprised if they don't condemn it," he said.
Caldwell says it didn't take long to figure out his neighbor was collecting cats and that's when concerned residents contacted authorities.
Workers wore protective gear, including masks to remove the cats from the home. One-by one they were brought out in cages with blankets over them.
"All those stories I've ever seen about the cat ladies and stuff, I think that house tops them all and is the worse one," said Caldwell.
Authorities aren't sharing details about the condition of the cats, but neighbors say the homeowner has been in and out of the hospital and is being treated for cancer.
"Clothing and stuff scattered everywhere and I mean it's just deplorable," said Caldwell of the home's condition.
The cats were taken to the Michigan Humane Society's Berman Center for Animal Care in Westland. They will be housed there until Animal Control decides what to do next.