RSPCA inspectors were shocked to find the decomposing bodies of seven cats in a 'squalid' flat in Runcorn, infested with fleas and flies.
The flat was filled with overflowing litter trays and rubbish, with six of the cats so badly decomposed that only their fur and bones remained. In a grim case of neglect brought to court by the RSPCA, one of the cats found in a wardrobe had maggots on it.
The owner of the cats, Carrie Renwick, has been prosecuted and given a 16-week custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months. At a sentencing hearing at North Cheshire Magistrates Court on November 23, Renwick was also banned from keeping animals for 10 years.
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The court heard that the flat in Primrose Close, Runcorn, was so cluttered that some rooms were inaccessible, with Renwick, 53, having moved out.
RSPCA inspector Nadine Pengilly, who removed the deceased animals on July 5 this year, shared her shocking experience in court. She said: "As I approached the front door I was attacked by hundreds of fleas escaping via the letterbox.
"We went to the back of the property and I could clearly see the flat was in a filthy condition with overflowing litter trays and bags of rubbish all over the floor. The place was full of clutter and there was a mass flea infestation. The first room on the right was the bathroom which was dirty and cluttered. I found two dead cats on the floor."
Inspector Pengilly continued: "As I approached the front door I was attacked by hundreds of fleas escaping via the letterbox. We went to the back of the property and I could clearly see the flat was in a filthy condition with overflowing litter trays and bags of rubbish all over the floor.
"The place was full of clutter and there was a mass flea infestation. The first room on the right was the bathroom which was dirty and cluttered. I found two dead cats on the floor."
She also described finding several more dead cats throughout the house, including one in the wardrobe that "looked like he hadn't been dead long as he still had flesh on his body and was being eaten by maggots".
RSPCA inspector Leanne Cooper, who visited the property, said: "There was a foul smell coming from the property that I could smell from standing outside the front door. I could see live and dead flies on the windows and hundreds of live and dead fleas. These actually jumped on me when I opened the letterbox."
The police took the deceased animals and a vet examined their bodies. The vet stated that the cat found in the wardrobe had died at least 36 hours earlier and had a body score condition score of 1/9, with the ribs, lumbar vertebrae, pelvic bones and bony prominences all visible from a distance.
She also mentioned that the animal had no discernible body fat and obvious loss of muscle mass. In her statement she said: "The other six carcasses were dried out and rigid which suggests they had been dead for some time. Decomposition was so marked that the bodies were not suitable for a post mortem examination."
Renwick, now of Meadow Row, Runcorn, had previously been given advice by the RSPCA about appropriate flea treatment but had turned down offers of help to rehome the cats. In mitigation the court heard she had health and alcohol issues.
A requirement to complete 20 RAR days and an alcohol abstinence monitoring programme was also imposed as part of the sentence.
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