NEWELL, W.Va. -- Hancock County shelter workers were dealing with an influx of cats at their facility after authorities found a man dead in his Newell home Wednesday. Authorities brought more than a dozen cats and kittens to the shelter.

"They have an upper respiratory infection," said Shelter Director Lorrie Byo. "It affects their eyes and they have to be on antibiotics and eye medicine. None of them had been altered, so there were a lot of kittens. None of them had any type of health care, so they were pretty well infested with fleas and worms."

Hancock County Sheriff Mike White told NEWS9's Kelly Camarote how the animal warden was trying to catch the cats that are still roaming around the man's house.

"He owed a couple trailers, the house, a couple outbuildings and kept everything mowed down," said White. "No one realized he had that many cats except the neighbors that lived right there with him. Most of (the cats) are confined to the buildings but cause there's nobody there everyday, they're going to start venturing out and hunting. So the neighbors are feeding them and as they catch them, they're detaining them for us."

The man's daughter signed papers that allow the animal warden to take custody of all cats and kittens found at the man's house. The animals will be taken to the animal shelter and nursed back to health before shelter workers try to find homes for the cats and kittens.