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PERRY COUNTY, Ky. (WYMT) - A Perry County woman is charged with second degree animal cruelty in a hoarding case.

On March 1st, Mary Elizabeth Coots was found with a total of 129 cats, dogs and exotic animals inside her home in the Delphia community of Perry County.

The Perry County Sheriff’s Office along with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife called in Kentucky River Regional Animal Shelter staff to assist.

Shelter president Tony Vaughn said it was unlike anything he had seen before.

“In all my years with law enforcement, I have been in a lot of homes,” Vaughn said. “That was definitely in the top five. I mean it was filled with feces; I mean every ounce of it.”

Vaughn added that the conditions inside the home were deplorable.

“She had made the statement to be while I was there that you know they caught here on a day she didn’t clean, and I am thinking to myself with 129 animals. You can’t stop cleaning,” he said. “If you’ve got that many animals to feed, water and clean after. You better be doing it every day you’re awake.”

Due to severe overcrowding at the shelter, Vaughn said he received permission from Perry County Judge Executive Scott Alexander to temporarily house the animals at Little Leatherwood School.

“Part of the issue is that our state laws are so weak. As a matter of fact, I will be speaking in Frankfort Thursday. Hopefully we can address some of this and try to get some of it under control. Backyard breeders, the transfer of these animals, all of these should be serious considerations,” he said. “To be ranked 46th out of the nations is just unacceptable. We have to do better.”

According to the Animal Legal Defense Fund, Kentucky ranks 5th worst state for animal protection laws in the country.

As of Monday, all but seven of the animals were taken to various rescues.