Fifty cats, dogs and squirrel in one house

Kindred Hummer, 45, kept up to a dozen cats per crate in her three-bed semi in Anlaby, near Hull.

A similar raid at the home of her boyfriend Ian Foster revealed more than 20 dogs as well as two giant tortoises.

As well as the cats, officers found eight pug dogs, a Shar Pei dog, a bulldog and a squirrel named Arnold – which had to be put down as a non-native creature which cannot be released back into the wild. It is also illegal to keep a wild animal in a cage.

Ms Hummer's three children also share the house.

The unemployed pair said they loved all the animals and Ms Hummer said she had no idea keeping a grey squirrel as a pet was illegal.

She said: "We are not bad people. We all love animals and they are well looked after and well-fed and we do not neglect them. We have reached crisis point though and we would like help."

She said Arnold had been brought home by her daughter when she found it being kicked by teenagers in a park.

She added: "We tried to put Arnold in a tree and see if the other squirrels would look after him, but they didn't. We have kept him ever since. I did not know it was wrong."

The RSPCA was alerted after neighbours complained of constant barking and a foul smell at her boyfriend's home.

The animal charity tried to visit the couple's homes several times and finally obtained a police warrant.

RSPCA inspector Sarah Keith said: "Fifty cats in one house is the largest number of cats I have known by a long stretch.

"The message here is neuter, neuter, neuter. Even if you are in a dire financial situation you should ask for help. There is no excuse for allowing that many cats to breed and inter-breed."

All the cats and four of Ms Hummer's dogs were taken away. Mr Foster signed over six of his 21 dogs.