Parents live in squalor and kids need advice on where to start to, I don't know, make last days better? Cleanlier?

Call APS to report vulnerable elders living alone with animals and feces in the home. If mother doesn't speak to you again, so be it. Who's willing to stay closed mouthed while her parents are living in such squalor, with dementia a likelihood, and do nothing? Thats not to say you kids should go clean up such filth, or take her animals......you shouldn't....but reporting this unlivable situation to the authorities will get your parents on their radar and hopefully placed in managed care and safe. And the animals cleared out of there and rehomed as well.

Wishing you the best of luck with a difficult situation.

APS would likely help in getting house condemned as unlivable and unsafe and getting your parents diagnosed and placed if that is your wish. I would not take on POA. That is difficult enough to do for someone cooperative, clean and organized; I KNOW. I would allow the state to intervene here. I doubt there is anything you can do about this and the STATE can. That allow you to remain a daughter, them to get care, and the state to manage it all.

Good luck. Because the other answer is to leave things as they are. Again, you cannot change this. That's not within your power, control or expertise. Not everything can be fixed. Most of us die as we have lived. Unless dementia takes over and the state takes over from there.

Who cares if your mom never talks to you again if you take her animals away???
You and your siblings should NOT be propping up your parents in this very unhealthy and unsafe environment they call home.
Call Adult Protective Services ASAP and report the very unhealthy living conditions that your parents and the 50 cats are living in. They will come out and do an assessment and things will proceed from there. And guaranteed the majority of the cats will be gone if not all.
Your parents are mentally ill to have allowed this to go on and they need help. So please call APS tomorrow and get the ball rolling.

How much more willing are you to orbit around them? 5x more than now? This is an unsustainable arrangement. Of course they like it -- they have their kids to clean up after them. Please note they don't seem to care about the impact it is having on you guys.

You and your siblings should all back away from helping and then report them to APS. Don't clean up that house. Don't give them any money to support the cat (or any other) expense. You are not morally or ethically obligated to exhaust yourselves -- stop lighting yourselves on fire in order to keep them warm.

Their county's social services has options and solutions. Please contact them.

Your parents no longer have a marriage. They are living together separately.

As far as the housekeeping goes, would you work for them? Of course, everyone is going to quit.

Quite frankly, I am surprised that no one has reported them to APS and reported the cats to the animal control department.

It’s really disturbing to read a story like yours. I am terribly sorry that you are witnessing such a heartbreaking situation.

Why don’t you call APS and see if they can do anything about this issue?

Back away. The more you take on ANY responsibility, the more you are likely to be blamed for the state they are in. Cleaning up for them is clearly an endless task and a waste of time. There are no ‘wins’ in this, for you and ‘the kids’, or even for them – they want things the way they are, complete with squalor and 50 cats. Just back away. Call APS, put the responsibility onto ‘the system’. Don't volunteer for anything.

This is a very unsanitary situation and is harmful to their health. She may very well have toxoplasmosis from the cats.

You need to report them to adult protective services for an evaluation.

You could report the animal situation to the animal welfare association in their town. You don’t have to take any animals and could report it anonymously. They’ll know what to do.

Then see if that kicks off help for your parents from another agency. Stand back, don’t participate, and don’t share what you did with anyone else, even family. You don’t need the hassle.

Your story is heartbreaking. Your parents need to be removed from this house as this is a health hazard for them. If the city/township finds out that your parents are living in filth and squalor, they are going to do an inspection and they will condemn the home. You need to seek the help of a professional cleaner to come in with hazmat clothing to clean out this home.

Best of luck.

This really pains me to write as I am a HUGE animal lover, but those cats need to go to the humane society. This is animal hoarding and it's bad for all involved. The cats will keep breeding producing kittens and feral cat colonies can be huge. This means not only pee and urine but also fleas and worms (cats get tapeworms). The cats most likely are malnourished have breathing issues or more. The kindest thing would to be to report it but do not give your name. You can say you are a concerned neighbor. The cats need to be removed. No one individual can care for 50 cats. This would require a professional team of hundreds to keep the cats spayed/neutered, vaccinated, fed, etc.

I would not try to clean up the mess as this seems like a good case for APS to get involved. Is she a hoarder? This is a mental disorder and she would need to be in a place where she could be supervised at all times. Usually a nursing home or assisted living can give her a one bedroom place with a bathroom and they can keep an eye on living conditions so they cannot hoard. Your father would do best in a retirement home so his basic needs can be met daily. If he cannot make it to the toilet he could use a bedside toilet or wear adult diapers, but it is a lose-lose situation for all if something is not done.