SOUTH RYEGATE - Animal hoarding is more than just a crime, it can be considered a mental illness and one severe case happened right here in the Northeast Kingdom.

"We were not prepared for 42 cats to be removed," said Joyce Littlefield, the Animal Cruelty Investigator at the time.

42 cats and 42 charges of animal cruelty filed against 58-year-old Cynthia Erlandsson for leaving her animals in conditions rescue workers described as horrible.  Authorities were alerted by Erlandsson herself as she called Kingdom Animal Shelter and told them she was preparing for a move because of her job as a registered nurse.  When volunteers arrived at her South Ryegate home on November 18th, it was clear she had already gone.

"When we walked into the house it seemed like it was out of a surreal horror film.  The stench, the feces, every room was covered with feces and urine," said Sue Skaskiw, the Director of Vermont Volunteer Services for Animals Humane Society.

A judge gave Kingdom Kats the authority to seize Erlandsson's cats.  On the first day 19 were grabbed.  Between November 20th and December 23rd, 23 more cats roaming the house were trapped and removed.

On November 16th, Erlandsson left with nine cats and a snake, leaving 47 cats behind.  Volunteers found five dead cats when they arrived and 20 cats have since been euthanized because they were unable to be saved.  The remaining 22 have been placed in homes and shelters across the state.

"It's hard to imagine, it's hard to explain.  In all of the cases that I've handled, this is by far the worst," said Littlefield.

Skaskiw is still perplexed by how someone can walk away from living creatures.  "It is so mind boggling how somebody could have so little regard for animals that they could let them exist in these conditions."

On Monday April 25, Erlandsson was back in Vermont for her arraignment.  Off camera Erlandsson said, "I've been set up.  When I left there were only 20 cats in the house.  I planned on picking them up at Christmas time, but I couldn't get up here because there was a Nor'easter."  At that point a man who refused to identify himself entered the room and told her to stop speaking.

Dr. Peggy W. Larson, a veterinarian, said that Erlandsson fits the description of someone who collects animals.  "These people are a great deal like drug addicts.  They are so consumed by their addiction to collect animals that eventually they don't care for the animals, they don't take care of them, they don't realize that these animals are suffering."

"She is a nurse, she is a registered R.N. and to think that this woman is responsible for the care of people in life challenging situations is terrifying.  She is mentally ill and she is taking care of people," said Skaskiw.

Erlandsson plead 'Not Guilty.'  A trial date has not been set.  At the state house in Montpelier a bill in the House Committee on Agriculture would define a hoarder as having more than five pets and impose criminal penalties on animal abuse as a way to limit cat hoarding.