Cat owners banned from keeping animals indefinitely after blaming neglect on 'broken mop'

A couple who neglected 13 cats in a filthy, flea-infested home have been banned from keeping animals indefinitely after one blamed the conditions on her broken mop.

One kitten was dead by the time he reached vets and another cat had to be put to sleep after being found comatose and gasping.

Gail Turner, 34, and Andrew Hogg, 39, of Accrington, Lancs were each sentenced to 12 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, at Burnley Magistrates’ Court on October 19.

The court heard RSPCA inspectors repeatedly tried to help the pair, who said they were struggling financially, but conditions failed to improve.

Inspector Kelly Nix found faeces trodden into floors, overflowing litter trays and a powerful smell of urine during a visit in October last year.

She said: “Turner invited me inside but asked me not to judge her. There was faeces trodden into the floor throughout the hallway and front room. There were damp patches on the floor and a strong smell of urine and faeces. There was a litter tray in the front room that was overflowing and faeces in the corners of the room.”

Among the animals was Isla, a young black-and-white kitten whose ribs and spine were visibly protruding.

The inspector issued a warning notice requiring improvements and urged Turner to surrender the animals to the charity.

Nix said: “I urged her to sign her animals over as she was not meeting their needs and had no money but this was declined.”

The alarm was raised again when vets contacted the RSPCA after Isla was brought to them underweight, suffering from mild hypothermia and carrying fleas.

On a return visit, Turner insisted the kitten was fine. But Nix found Isla shivering, with her eyes half-closed, and said she had become even thinner.

The inspector said: “She did not look well and had lost weight since my last visit. The litter trays were dirtier than previously and no attempts had been made to pick up or clean any of the faeces off the floor.

“Turner said it was not her fault that she had no money and her mop broke.”

There was no clean cat litter in the house, and the inspector was told the couple could not buy any until Hogg was paid.

Nix added: “They said they could not afford more litter, more food or flea treatment. The flies in the property were overwhelming and kept hitting me in the face. The smell was bad.”

The animals were taken to the RSPCA’s Greater Manchester Animal Hospital after the inspector concluded that her warning notices had not been complied with.

Eight-week-old Isla weighed just 0.69kg, around 1.5lb, and was clearly underweight.

Stitch, a white male kitten, arrived at the vets already dead. He was emaciated and crawling with fleas.

Bambi was comatose, gasping, dehydrated and severely infested with fleas. Vets had to put him to sleep to end his suffering.

Another cat, Smokey, was underweight and had fleas, as well as deformed toes and missing digits.

A veterinary report found the owners had failed to protect the cats from pain, suffering, injury or disease, citing flea infestations and poor body condition. It also found that overflowing litter trays and soiled living conditions meant the animals lacked a suitable environment.

Turner and Hogg pleaded guilty to failing to meet the welfare needs of the 13 cats. Neither offered mitigation despite being prompted to do so.

Alongside his suspended sentence, Hogg was ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work. Turner received a £135 financial penalty.

Both were disqualified indefinitely from keeping all animals.

Sentencing them, magistrates described the conditions as “appalling” and said the case involved a “significant and prolonged period of neglect”.

They told the couple they had failed to provide for their cats’ most basic needs, adding that the number of animals involved showed they had lost control of the situation.

The surviving cats were cared for by the RSPCA and have since been rehomed.