(WVLT)

(Courtesy: Knox Co. Sheriff's Office)

(Courtesy: Knox Co. Sheriff's Office)

(Courtesy: Knox Co. Sheriff's Office)

(Courtesy: Knox Co. Sheriff's Office)

(Courtesy: Knox Co. Sheriff's Office)

(Courtesy: Knox Co. Sheriff's Office)

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- The woman whose home was raided by authorities earlier this week has turned over all of the animals seized to Young Williams Animal Center, the shelter announced on Thursday.

The cats will remain there and receive continued medical and behavioral evaluations, the shelter explained.

Many of them will need ongoing rehabilitation before the shelter will allow them to be adopted.

However, 5 of the 6 dogs rescued are available for adoption. One of the dogs has to be treated for heartworms.

For anyone who wanted to help, Young Williams said it is accepting donations of canned cat food, towels and blankets, paper towels, hydrogen peroxide, and rubbing alcohol as well as stuffed animals and pet toys.

Donations can be dropped off between noon and 6 p.m. seven days a week at the animal center, 3201 Division Street.

On Friday, animal control officials found three more cats inside a condemned home in northeast Knox County, according to the Knox Co. Sheriff's Office.

That's on top of the four more cats that were removed from the home on Thursday and officials believe they saw one more inside the house. They went ahead and re-baited all of the traps though "just in case" there is more than one left.

The house on Murphy Road sits empty, but half the windows are open to try to air out the stench. Some of the smell lingers, after 89 animals were found inside, 40 of them dead.

Roy Braden, Building Official for Knox County, said their agent couldn't even enter the home. "She didn't go inside the dwelling because it was so bad, but she did look inside and see it was in horrible condition, so she posted with a placard that it's unfit for human habitation," he said.

Braden said the agency checks on any potential code violations, like this case, based on complaints. "Usually it's neighbors calling in, the Sheriff's Department, this is an extreme case," he said.

Issues with animal hoarding or abuse have caused the office to condemn several homes in the past few years.

Braden said, "Generally people keep things like that in their house, a lot of them, and we don't know about it until an extreme case happens."

No one wants a condemned home in their area, so they hope all repairs will be made, but the owner won't get any help with the massive clean-up from insurance.

Melissa Gambino is a Nationwide Insurance Agent with Robert Suggs & Associates in Knoxville, and she said, "Hoarding animals is a liability, and it's a huge risk to neighbors health-wise, and other items could happen and we just can't cover that."

Gambino said it's a hazard no on wants to deal with. "You're exposing neighbors, you're exposing children, lots of animals cause lots of health issues," and she added, "That causes huge liabilities for the homeowner and for the neighbors."

The 49 animals found alive are in the care of Young-Williams Animal Center. They have a fund for animals found in conditions like this, if you would like to donate, call 865-215-6599.

Animal control set traps and is still trying to get 8 more cats and 2 birds out of the house.

No charges have been filed, and the sheriff's office has not released the name of the woman who lived there, but public property records show the owners as Jill Kauffman and Chris Dibble.

The total is now at 42 cats, 1 hedgehog, and 6 dogs found alive. The total of dead animals found in the house at 4535 Murphy Road: 38 cats and 2 lizards.

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- Officials with the Animal Control Division of the Knox Co. Sheriff's Office have recovered 39 cats from an East Knox County home, where dozens of cats were found Monday.

They think three more cats are still roaming around the house and have set traps to catch them.

Thirty-eight dead cats in various stages of decomposition were also found inside the home locked in cages and carriers, as well as two dead chameleons.

In addition, six dogs were found in the home. Two animal control trucks and a horse trailer were needed to clear out all of the animals Monday afternoon.

The ones that were still alive were reportedly living in so much feces that the smell prompted officers to knock on the woman's door and ask for permission to search the residence off Washington Pike and Murphy Road around one o'clock.

"It's probably the worst I've seen," said Captain Robert Hubbs. "I've been an officer for a long time. It's probably about the worst I've seen, as far as the stink and the concentration of ammonia and the concentration of animal feces."

Animal control officers had to rely on special suits and equipment provided by Rural Metro HazMat to be able to go back into the house and continue removing animals. Fifteen dead cats were reportedly found in one bedroom, where the window sills were covered with layers of dead flies.

The surviving ones were taken to Young-Williams Animal Center and are eligible for adoption.

Charges are pending against the owner of the home, who authorities said lived in a front room and kept all her belongings in the garage,