BETHLEHEM, Conn. (AP) – Authorities checking the condition of a 98-year-old woman seized 53 cats and a dog from her home, which was later declared uninhabitable by health officials.

Five of the cats were found dead in a freezer, and 11 others had to be euthanized because of medical and behavioral conditions, said Wayne Kasacek, a regulation and inspection official with the state Department of Agriculture.

State police went to Rose Toomey’s home on Main Street South on Dec. 29 after a relative called to ask them to check on her. Police said the home was littered with animal and human feces. Toomey’s daughter, Delores Toomey, 64, also was living at the home.

The two women may be subject to animal cruelty charges, Kasacek said. The two women are in good health and are staying elsewhere, authorities said. Health officials say they cannot live in the home until it is cleaned.

Kasacek said it took five days for animal control officers to catch all the animals, which were hiding under furniture and living in walls and ceilings. Several cats were feral. Bethlehem firefighters had to wear hazardous material suits before venting the home because of the stench of animal and human feces, he said.

Police had been called to the Toomey’s home before. In November 2003, authorities issued an infraction to Delores Toomey for failing to vaccinate 24 cats. Last March, she agreed to give 25 cats to the state.

The surviving animals are being examined by veterinarians, and official will try to put them up for adoption.