Man charged after 21 dead cats found inside Pennsylvania home

A man is facing charges after police said 21 cats were found dead at a home in Westmoreland County.

A woman called police after finding all of her cats dead and "in various stages of decomposition" at a home on North Second Street in West Newton, the Westmoreland County District Attorney's Office said in a press release on Wednesday. 

The homeowner told investigators that Jonathan Hodgetts of Jeannette was supposed to be caring for the cats while she was taking care of another sick cat, the district attorney's office said. The woman said she had sent supplies to the home, and Hodgetts sent her photos and assured her the cats were fine. 

The district attorney's office said a veterinarian performed a necropsy on the cats and determined they died of starvation. 

The woman told investigators that Hodgetts was rescuing the cats and getting them fixed, and the two of them had plans to turn a detached garage into a cat sanctuary. She had last seen the cats alive in July, the district attorney's office said. 

Hodgetts is facing charges of aggravated cruelty to animals, cruelty to animals and neglect.