New Jersey animal control officers found 80 cats and one dog living inside a million dollar home in Chester Township Thursday.
Officials from the local SPCA had been receiving anonymous complaints about the home of Wanda Oughton for more than a week before eventually obtaining a warrant to search the property along with county and town police. But nothing could have prepared officers for what they found inside.
Every room of the house was covered in animal feces and urine, with piles of excrement reaching as high as 2 feet in some rooms. The fire department was called to ventilate the home and officials wore breathing masks while working inside the home.
SPCA Superintendent Frank Rizzo told the Star Ledger, "There were feces everywhere, and the smell was horrific," adding, "I don't know how anyone could survive in that."
Twenty cats and two kittens were rushed to a nearby vet for evaluation.
This isn't the first time Oughton has been in trouble with the law for animal treatment. According to Rizzo, officials were called to the same residence a few years ago for a similar situation involving 12 cats.
Oughton is expected to be charged Friday with 80 counts of animal cruelty, each carrying a maximum fine of $1,000.
