Animal cruelty officers took dozens of cats, dead and alive, from a Union City home, Thursday. Animal enforcement officers say it's not the first time they've had to deal with the woman involved.

After several visits to this woman's house in Union City, officials weren't able to garner any cooperation. So Thursday, they went with a search warrant, and what they found is quite unsettling.

One by one, officials brought 25 living cats out of a home on Odell St. in Union City. Then, the ones that didn't make it. Seventy cat carcasses were discovered wrapped up inside two large freezers.

"It's horrendous, it's very disturbing, it's almost like a nightmare, it's not something you take lightly," said Merle Wolfgang, Animal Control Officer, Humane Society NWPA.

Officials say a person who does this is known as an "animal hoarder." Someone who has more animals than they can provide food, vet care or sanitary living conditions for.

Wolfgang says, "this type of person cannot have one or two, it has to be many more as you see today. In their mind they think they're doing the right thing."

This isn't the first time this individual has been under investigation for hoarding cats. In 2003, 45 living cats and numerous dead ones were taken out of her Rice Avenue home in Erie.

"It's very frustrating to see this happen again and it's hard to imagine how many animals have gone through this," said Wolfgang.

Officials say, while this situation is disturbing and tragic for these animals living in deplorable conditions, it's mostly a human tragedy.

"The conditions on the inside, they're horrific, they're unsanitary living conditions. No person should be living under these conditions. My belief is they're not responsible for this," said Joe Grisanti, Humane Society NWPA.

"We need to get some help for this individual," added Wolfgang.

The cats have been taken from the home as evidence. Officials say they expect charges will eventually be filed.