Strong Odors Expose N.Va. House's Secret

As early as August 2001, officials were aware that there was a problem when complaints prompted officers to remove 100 cats from the Knueven home. At the time, police did not release Knueven's name. They confirmed the incident yesterday.

Police had allowed Knueven to keep five cats. But neighbors said the feline population continued to grow.

Police said they found dozens of dead cats stuffed in plastic bins. Although some neighbors said the live cats were kept inside the house, one neighbor recalled seeing as many as 20 on the front lawn when police arrived to investigate complaints.

Even with most of the cats removed from the house, a strong odor lingered on the front stoop, where flies buzzed.

"You couldn't walk by the house" without smelling the odor, said one neighbor. "It's just been unbelievable. The whole thing has been awful, just awful."

Officials have said Knueven, her husband and daughter can return to the house when order is restored. She was issued two criminal summonses for failure of owner to care for animals and one summons for failure to dispose of dead animals properly. A civil petition charging her as an unfit owner was also issued.

Officials say the circumstances that lead to hoarding are complex and are often exacerbated by the co-dependency of family members.

"Some are psychological, and some are illness," Yetman said. "But whatever has started this process, the consequences are that they don't make good decisions."