A team made up of animal rescue workers and an animal control officer recently removed more than two dozen cats from a home in Indian Mountain Lake.

The homeowner, who was hospitalized at the time, faces charges of neglect of animals for allegedly failing to provide food, shelter and veterinary care.

State Police charged Camille Denise Osborne, 41, last week.

The trooper who charged Osborne learned of the alleged cat hoarding after ambulance crews responded to her home in early June.

According to court documents, an Indian Mountain Lake security guard who was on scene reported to state police that he saw about 40 cats inside the house. The guard said there was an inch of cat feces on the floor and ambulance crews had to put down cardboard in order to get in and out of the house.

The trooper contacted Osborne, who was hospitalized at the time. She reportedly told them that she thought a home health aide was feeding and watching the cats while she was unable to.

After attempting to locate friends or family to take care of the cats, the trooper obtained a search warrant to remove the cats from the home.

The searches were conducted by Animal Control Officer Donna Crum and two workers from local animal rescues.

Over the course of five days they trapped and removed more than two dozen cats.

According to charging documents, during the first search, they removed 15 cats. One more cat was found dead.

During the second search, they removed six cats from the house, and three from outside.

During a third search, they removed three cats from inside the house, and left traps on surrounding properties.

The following day, the trooper found another cat found in one of the traps outside a nearby home.

Two kittens removed on the first day later died. Other cats were spayed and neutered, and treated for fleas and eye infections.

The cats were treated by veterinarians from Rush Veterinary Urgent Care and Mountain Valley Clinic. They were transported to Carbon County Friends of Animals, CATSHACK, the Sanctuary of Haafsville, Red Rock Rescue, Paws to Freedom and Blue Mountain Animal Rescue Society.

Following the incident, the Department of Environmental Protection received a complaint about trash inside and around the home. They referred the complaint to Indian Mountain Lake’s Community Association.

In a letter, DEP said it appeared that the violations were under the jurisdiction of the association’s bylaws, rules and regulations. The community association did not return calls for comment.

Crum said she believes the home is uninhabitable for humans.

Penn Forest Township Supervisor Christian Bartulovich said he saw pictures and agreed the home was uninhabitable. However he said the township cannot condemn it because it currently has no property maintenance ordinance.

Osborne now faces a total of nine counts of neglect of animals.

She has a preliminary hearing on the charges scheduled for Sept. 23 at 1 p.m. before Magisterial District Judge Eric Schrantz.