An RSPCA inspector has informed how she discovered a Wigan man’s cats ravenous after he deserted them for 12 days over Christmas.
Watch extra of our movies on Shots!
and dwell on Freeview channel 276
Steven Corbett, 26, of Meadow Street, Springfield, was sentenced by Wigan magistrates for an offence below the Animal Welfare Act.
RSPCA officers first attended on Christmas Day final yr after suspicions had been raised that the proprietor had left his cats alone in his flat.
The officer managed to telephone the proprietor of the 2 cats, one black and white cat known as Snowy, and one tabby and white known as Nestle, who confirmed he left on December 23 and would return that night.
But a follow-up go to on December 27 revealed that the proprietor had not returned as promised.
Read More
99 footage of Wigan new-born infants July to December 2012
Insp Rachel Whalley, who investigated, fed the cats by the letterbox and famous that they frantically pawed on the meals. She then contacted a vet and police for help in rescuing the cats.
She stated: “As soon as I squeezed the food out the cats were ravenous and trying to paw the sachets out of my hands.
“After seeing their behaviour I was extremely concerned for their welfare, especially as I knew they would not have been fed, given water or checked on in days.
“When I got inside, both cats weren’t microchipped and both were underweight.
“The flat had a lot of clutter and hazards on the floor which would not be safe for cats to be around.
“There were lots of scattered empty packets of food on the floor near the kitchen, and two empty food bowls.
“I had a look around the flat to ensure that there were only the two cats. I saw two litter trays in the bedroom which were empty and had black plastic bags covering them.
“These contained cigarette butts and there were also a lot of cigarette butts surrounding the trays. There were also piles of cat faeces in the bathroom.”
The RSPCA took Snowy and Nestle into their care the place they acquired the required care and therapy they wanted on the RSPCA Greater Manchester Animal Hospital.
The court docket heard how the vet report said that Snowy weighed simply 1.1kg and was coated in flea grime, while Nestle weighed simply 1.5kg. The common regular weight for a cat is 3.6-4.5kgs.
The vet report concluded: “By failing to provide these needs the owner of Snowy and Nestle has allowed them to suffer. Regardless of who cares for them, provisions should be made for alternative carers if their owner was unable to attend the property for a period of time.”
Corbett was sentenced to a 12-month group order with 100 hours of unpaid work after pleading responsible. He was additionally banned from maintaining all animals indefinitely and can’t attraction this resolution for not less than 5 years.
He was additionally ordered to pay £400 in prices, £425 authorized charges and a £114 sufferer surcharge to be deducted from advantages.
The two cats have since been rehomed by the RSPCA.
Insp Whalley added: “The suffering inflicted on these skinny and terribly hungry cats was completely unnecessary and could have been easily avoided had the owner provided care for them over the festive period. The conditions they were kept in were also totally unacceptable.
