The Bad Air Sponge

CEDARBURG - At least 10 dead cats and 14 living ones were taken from a Cedarburg home early Friday afternoon by Ozaukee County Humane Society employees after police found deplorable conditions inside the home at N73 W6957 Walnut St.

“It’s just a horrible situation,” said Beth Maresh, director of program services for the Wisconsin and Ozaukee humane societies.

WHS officials donning protective gowns, gloves and rubber boots continued to search the home for cats on Monday, certain that they would find more hiding in debris scattered throughout the house.

“It’s just very dirty, and smells of cat feces and urine,” Maresh said. “When you walk in, you don’t see cats anywhere. But they’re there, hiding in the basement, in the ceiling. I wouldn’t be surprised if there would be more dead cats.”

The home is owned by Michael Rossobillo and Carol Munden.

Munden acknowledged Monday that the home was in bad shape, but said she moved out of the home two years ago. Her estranged husband, Rossobillo, was supposed to be cleaning the home and taking some of the cats to the humane society, she said.

“I knew it was messy inside. I knew it had to be cleaned up,” said Munden, who lives in a condominium elsewhere in Cedarburg and suffers from severe rheumatoid arthritis. “He was supposed to be taking care of it.”

The Cedarburg police and fire departments were called to the home at 5:51 p.m. Thursday after a request from We Energies regarding a natural gas odor coming from the home.

According to a We Energies employee, a neighbor reported the odor coming from the property.

The We Energies employee did detect high levels of carbon monoxide coming through the outside furnace vents of the home.