In September, an elderly man in Missouri's St Louis County was asked to vacate his Wildwood home after his daughter complained to the authorities that their father was living in a pathetic condition with 175 cats inside. Shocking footage, accessed by
Fox2now
, has emerged showing
cat waste
strewn everywhere -- a cluttered dining room, books kept on the staircase.
Carolyn Haydon
, the homeowner's daughter, said her father used to live with their mother and some time back a third relative moved with them. That person refused to let them into their parents' home saying that the home was her safe place and she did not want them in her safe space. Haydon lives in
Virginia
.
"That particular person said that the home was her safe space, and she did not want us in her safe space," she told Fox 2. That relative always insisted that everything was fine at the house. This went on for years and the daughter finally got access to her parents' house when her mother passed away.
Before that, the daughter went to the police and social services but they too were refused at the door.
After the mother's death which Haydon got to know from a family friend, the daughter could access the house and it was far worse than she feared -- the house was overrun with cats. Haydon informed that he confirmed the news of her mother's death by calling funeral homes.
The homeowner's grandson Jonathan Carter said the scent of ammonia was so strong that he felt the need to wash his clothes after spending less than half an hour in the home.
As the local authorities intervened, 140 of the cats were taken to the local APA for adoption. Other 35 cats were hiding throughout the house and those were also taken to the APA.