Dallas Staley, a real estate agent in Fort Collins, was trying to sell the house in question.

Early last month, she says her son went inside and discovered the deplorable conditions.

"The poop and everything was caked all over the carpets," Staley said.

Staley called Greeley police, but she says the officer came up with every reason not to take action.

"It didn't matter," she said. "He wasn't going to do anything."

Three weeks later, an appraiser saw the same conditions at the same house and did the same thing Staley did: He called police.

But this time, they acted.

They removed 52 cats, two rabbits, eight rats and two guinea pigs. They also found 28 dead cats in a freezer in the home.

Staley now questions what happened to both her tip and the animals.

"I wonder how many died in between there ... How many suffered between there, that's my concern," she said.

Greeley police acknowledge something might have gone wrong.

"We had the initial call on the 7th and it was apparently not followed up on as we would have preferred, given what's been said and we're still investigating that," Sgt. Joe Tymkowych said.

As for the man who hoarded all these animals, police were planning to question him Monday.

They were also expecting to decide, with the help of the Weld County District Attorney and city attorney, what - if any - charges should be filed.

If you want to adopt any of the seized animals, you can visit the Humane Society of Weld County's Web site at www.weldcountyhumane.org.