Some of the cats seized from a home in Columbia County are likely to lose an eye because of the neglect, according to the shelter caring for them.

Jennifer Rossi and Peggy Card, who are both 45, are facing animal abuse charges for allegedly failing to provide sustenance, or nourishment, for 40 cats at a home in the town of Hillsdale.

Patrick Moore, president of Animal Nation Inc. said that they received a call on Oct. 6 reporting that multiple cats were being kept in small kennels. All of the cats were starving, covered in fleas and had ear mites. They had bleeding paws from standing in their own urine.

Five or six cats will likely lose an eye because of untreated conditions. One already has had an eye removed because its eyeball was untreatable, according to Moore.

Two cats died because they were severely malnourished – rating a 2 on a scale of 1 to 10.  They started seizing on their way to the vet and became unconscious, Moore said.

The rest of the cats will be treated and put up for adoption, according to Moore. Their care is costing around $10,000.