More than 70 animals have been seized from a filthy mobile home belonging to an animal hoarder banned from keeping pets . Police raided the house of John Koepke , in Wittmann , Arizona and found 54 dogs and 18 cats living in disgusting , cramped conditions . Footage of the raid showed the animals clambering across the furniture as officers from Maricopa County Sheriff 's Office making their way across the excrement laden , urine-stained carpet to rescue the pets . Scroll down for video . More than 70 animals have been seized from a filthy mobile home belonging to John Koepke who was banned from keeping pets . One of the cats at the mobile home in Arizona was found nursing a set of three young Chihuahua puppies in a box . Incredibly , one of the cats was found nursing a set of three young Chihuahua puppies . What happened to the Chihuahua 's mother is not yet known . 'At least the cat was saving some animals , ' said Sheriff Joe Arpaio in a press statement , ' I wont say the same thing for this guy . ' Another cat in the video appeared to have a serious injury to its left eye while the body of a further feline was also discovered at the home . Many of the animals seized appeared to be suffering with medical problems and are currently being assessed by veterinary experts . The incredible feline has taken over the role of mother for the three puppies - it is not known what happened the dog 's biological parent . Footage of the raid showed revealed the disgusting environment the pets were forced to live in such as excrement left on the floor . 'Their eyes are matted shut and they 're weeping , ' Officer Christopher Hegstrom , spokesman for Maricopa County Sheriff 's Office , told NBC News , apparently referring to the animals . Koepke had been 'highly emotional ' and refused to surrender his animals to the deputies on Wednesday , calling them 'his children . ' The 71-year-old had already been made subject to a ban which prevented him from keeping any pets until May 2015 after an animal hoarding case in 2011 . He will be charged with 72 counts of failure to provide shelter and could face thousands in medical bills once the cats and dogs have been fully assessed . Many of the animals seized appeared to be suffering with medical problems and are currently being assessed by veterinary experts . Koepke had been 'highly emotional ' and refused to surrender his animals to the deputies on Wednesday , calling them 'his children '
More than 70 animals were found living in disgusting conditions in Arizona . One cat was found dead and many were suffering with medical problems . Belonged to John Koepke who is banned from keeping any pets until May . Comment: