It smelled sort of like a slaughterhouse, said neighbor Kevin McCullough. You couldnt sit outside of your house and have a barbecue or picnic or anything like that because of the smell.

When animal control officers investigated the property, they said they found 20 dogs and nine cats living in filth in the home and in a shed out back.

It was awful. It was saturated with feces and urine, vomit, food thrown on the floor, said Maleah Stringer with the Animal Protection League. You could only stay in maybe 10, 15 minutes at a time.

West told police she loves her pets, but was unable to keep up with their care.

The problem compounds over time, said Mitch Carroll with Anderson police. I think she became a victim somewhat of her passion for animals.

The animals were seized by authorities and were being cared for by the Animal Protection League and the Madison County Humane Society.

West was not arrested but was evicted from her home due to several city ordinance violations.

To think that theres someone whose 80-something years old, who has no family and is living in those conditions and, of course, being an animal lover, it was heartbreaking to see the conditions of the animals, Stringer said.

City officials will meet in the coming days to discuss the possibility of simply demolishing the home, which officials said is beyond repair.