An Essex County woman is desperately searching for a new place to live with her 64 cats.

Liza Nelson found out at the end of May that the house in Staples, Ont., where she was living was being sold. She now has to find a new place to live with a barn to accommodate the cats.

She has been searching for months for a new place to rent, but is struggling to find a place that can accommodate the 64 cats she plans to bring with her.

Nelson has issued an emotional public plea for help.

"I don't need someone to pay our rent and I don't need someone to pay for our food. I don't need any of that," Nelson said.

"I just need some place to go."

Nelson says she first started rescuing cats she found abandoned in Brighton Beach more than a decade ago.

"I came out of a very abusive relationship, so who better understands the abuse, the abandonment, the neglect," says Nelson.

Most of Nelson's cats were rescued. One had a broken tail and cigarette burns all over its body, while another had visible damage to its ears. Others were found starving and abandoned, and are still recovering.

Nelson said if she can't find a home for the cats, she'll be forced to take them to a shelter. She said she's worried they will be euthanized because of their medical conditions.

"If you think about your child, your husband, your pet, and...how much they mean to you, and think about losing them, and multiply that pain by 64, that's what I'm feeling right now."

Melanie Coulter of the Windsor-Essex Humane Society said any shelter, rescue group or other organization Nelson may be able to work with would struggle with the number of cats.

Coulter said the Humane Society has visited Nelson's home in the past and has approved of the care and living conditions.

Nelson was told in May that she'd have to move out on July 11, and said she'll be living in her truck until she finds a home. She said she hopes she'll be able to find a place before she has to bring the cats to a shelter.

"If you put them down you might as well put me down too because they're my heart, they're my purpose and my reason."

Anyone who can help Nelson is asked to call (519) 567-7283.