A pair of males have been banned from holding animals for 10 years after 11 cats had been killed in a blaze in a home that was used as an animal shelter.
The blaze revealed how house owners Martin Clowes, 55, and Gavin Cromwell, 42, stored 24 cats dwelling in a home stuffed with garbage, urine, and faeces in Bridgend, Wales.
Rubbish baggage crammed with cat litter had been piled 6ft excessive across the place and cat poo was unfold throughout the ground when it was visited in March 2023, Swansea Magistrates Court heard.
While 13 different cats managed to outlive within the makeshift animal shelter and had been taken in by the RSPCA, the others weren’t so fortunate.
RSPCA animal rescue officer Paula Milton mentioned: ‘The scent from the home was so sturdy with urine and faeces.
‘As I entered the home there was a scent of smoke however the scent of urine and faeces was overpowering the scent of the smoke.
‘In the lounge there have been heaps and many black garbage baggage stuffed with dirty cat litter.
‘The rest of the living room was covered with clutter and the floor was covered in faeces. There were a few deceased cats in the living room on the floor.’
In the toilet Paula discovered three stay cats dwelling amongst piles of cat poo.
She said Clowes and Cromwell did not live at the property but Clowes would check in and feed the cats two to three times a week.
RSPCA deputy chief inspector Gemma Cooper said the environment where the cats were living was ‘not safe, clean or hygienic’.
She added there was no physical and mental stimulation for the cats and they didn’t have enough space.
The RSPCA also removed 30 cats from the property in 2021 when Clowes and Cromwell admitted they could not cope.
Clowes and Cromwell pleaded guilty to one offence under the Animal Welfare Act in that they both failed to meet the needs of 24 cats in terms of a suitable environment.
They were sentenced to 12 weeks imprisonment suspended for 12 months.
In mitigation the court heard they had good intentions but lost control, and both were remorseful.
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