As many as 20 cats, many of them dead, were left in a vacant Clayton County home that firefighters said was so filthy they wouldn’t recommend anyone enter the residence without an oxygen tank.

“It’s to the point the odor is so bad that they actually are on respirators,” Clayton police Capt. Anthony Thuman told Channel 2 Action News.

Most of the kittens, which officials tried to roundup Wednesday on Shadow Creek Avenue, were thought to be 1-week-old.

Police are not sure when the previous renters or owners left, but officers are trying to track them down.

In the meantime, they said trying to catch the rest of the cats is a challenge.

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