Doctors suspect Michigan cat hoarder’s liver cancer caused by fecal matter

A cat hoarder with terminal liver cancer who was admitted to hospice care this week likely caused his condition, or at least made it much worse, with exposure to feline fecal matter, physicians told a CBS News affiliate in Michigan on Wednesday.

The 60-year-old man's home in Pleasant Lake was the site of a HAZMAT cleanup on Wednesday after the Cascades Humane Society received a call from his wife, who reported that more than 60 cats were living unattended in the home.

The woman asked local media to not reveal her husband's identity or the address of the home, telling MLive.com that her husband is very close to death and in such a state that he believes he'll soon be returning home to his precious pets. He apparently did not realize the state of his home, where crews said every square inch of floor was coated with urine, feces and trash.

His wife has not lived in the home for several months, but she'd been keeping tabs on her husband's health for some time before last Thursday, when the man was rushed to the emergency room. He was admitted to hospice shortly thereafter with stage four liver cancer.

The man reportedly has a longtime love of stray cats, which significantly escalated when his wife moved out. The Cascades Humane Society is asking for donations to help take care of the nearly 70 felines, all of whom are expected to make a full recovery.

This video is from Michigan CBS News affiliate WWMT-TV, aired Wednesday, June 5, 2013.

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