A Beamsville woman and her granddaughter have pled guilty to animal cruelty charges after they were found to have 63 cats in their home last year.

The 75-year-old woman and her 32-year-old granddaughter are banned from owning more than one cat for the next 10 years, says Kevin Strooband, executive director of the Lincoln County Humane Society in Niagara.

Society workers went to the house last February with a warrant and removed 49 cats in distress. Of those, five cats died or were euthanized, Strooband said. Some were sent to other cities for adoption.

As for the remainder, the women relinquished some of their cats to an adoption organization, Strooband said.

Another cat removed from the Beamsville home. (Lincoln County Humane Society)

The women have three years to pay $2,500 in restitution to the society, and $40 in fines. They're also on three years probation.

Strooband says cat hoarding cases are a reality, but not common.

"If somebody has a dozen cats and they keep them clean and healthy and vetted, no problem," he said.

But in the Beamsville case, "it's challenging when you have a lot of cats."