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Brooklyn Woman With 45 Cats Faced With Furry Dilemma

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A Brooklyn woman who really loves cats says she is faced with a major predicament.

Barbara Berger, of Brighton Beach, said the landlord at her rent-stabilized apartment told her she had to decide between staying in the home and keeping her cats -- all 45 of them.

"All my life, I felt animals were vulnerable and they do need help. And now I'm made to look like I'm an animal hoarder. I do try my best, you know, I spend an awful lot of money and time on caring for them and now I'm being criticized and possibly evicted and possibly homeless because these poor cats that I helped," Berger told 1010 WINS on Friday.

Berger said she's not willing to give up the apartment for the kitties, but needs help to place them in homes.

"I'm willing to give up a lot of the cats, but I want to stand by them. I don't want to become homeless, I don't want to give up what I have because it's hard to live in this world. I don't want to be homeless," she said.

The woman said she has previously offered to keep just 10 of the cats, but the landlord of the apartment refused and said she could only keep 2.

Now, Berger is faced with a dilemma of wanting to keep and care for the felines or getting the boot from her apartment.

"These animals I helped -- I did the best I could and whatever I could afford. A lot of the ASPCA turned their backs on me. I had some falling out with them because they wouldn't take anything from me, they make me out to be a bad person."

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