Lowedges raid: RSPCA and police act over cats kept in ‘disgusting' Sheffield flat, strewn with poo and rubbish

A woman whose Sheffield home was covered in poo, decaying food and rubbish has had her pet cats seized and been banned from keeping animals.

Police joined RSPCA inspectors to raid 52-year-old Sara Whitton's flat on Lupton Walk in Lowedges, after the animal welfare charity had initially looked through the letterbox.

One of the two flea-ridden cats, Sooty and Kiki, who was living in the rubbish and faeces-strewn flat in Lupton Walk in Lowedges, Sheffield, was suffering from severe dental disease and had 16 teeth missing. Sheffield magistrates were told that RSPCA inspector Jack Taylor had visited the property on June 15 last year following welfare concerns about the animals and could immediately smell a strong, unpleasant odour coming from behind the door.

The inspector said he looked through the letterbox and could see a mountain of household rubbish all over the floor, which made it difficult for Whitton to open the door to him. Whitton was warned by the inspector that the environment was wholly unsuitable for cats to be living in and she was issued with an improvement notice. But further visits to the property showed conditions had not improved and on August 5 a warrant was carried out with the police and the cats were removed.

The court heard evidence from inspector Taylor, who described the conditions inside on that visit. He said: "There was household rubbish all over the flat, covering every inch of floor. The kitchen was full of mouldy food piled high. There was a fridge in the living room which was in working order, but it was full of black mouldy food and overflowing so the door couldn’t close. There were multiple bottles of milk that were so old, the contents had solidified inside the cartons.

"It was the most disgusting environment I had ever experienced, and I could not believe a person could live in this environment, let alone cats. Behind the tv stand in the living room was a huge mound of cat faeces, which the cats had obviously chosen to use as their toilet as the litter tray in the bathroom was still full and overflowing."

She has been banned from keeping all animals for five years after pleading guilty to two charges of breaking the Animal Welfare Act 2006 - causing unnecessary suffering and failing to meet the animals' needs - at a hearing in June and was sentenced at Sheffield Magistrates' Court on September 22 following a prosecution by the RSPCA.

Both cats were terrified and completely unhandled but they were eventually caught and taken by the inspector for veterinary treatment. During the rescue, one of Sooty’s canine teeth came out completely from the root and was kept as evidence.

On examination, female tabby cat Kiki was found to have several bald patches of alopecia which were self-inflicted due to a severe, untreated flea infestation. Sooty, a tabby and white male cat, was the more anxious of the two, which made examination difficult.

The court heard that six days later, Sooty was booked in for a dental procedure under general anaesthetic which revealed severe dental disease was affecting his remaining teeth. Sixteen were missing and had no remaining root left behind, and four were surgically removed.

In his evidence, the vet said: "It is my opinion that these cats have suffered because of the owner’s failure to seek veterinary attention, especially for Sooty’s severe dental disease. An accurate period of suffering is difficult to estimate, but due to the chronicity it might have been over six months. The owner should have sought veterinary advice when fresh blood or a strong smell was noticed.

"In Kiki’s case, the severe flea infestation had caused unnecessary suffering. Section 9 of the Animal Welfare Act (2006) states that animals must be protected from pain, suffering, injury or disease. Failure of the owner in this case to take reasonable steps to prevent pain, suffering and distress to meet the needs of the animal, breaches this legislation."

Inspector Taylor made repeated attempts to try and meet Whitton to interview her about the situation but phone calls went unanswered and appointments were missed. Environmental health officers were also unable to get her to clean the property.

In addition to the five year ban on keeping all animals, magistrates also imposed a 12 month Community Order, costs of £200 and a Victim Surcharge of £114.

In mitigation, the court heard Whitton was remorseful and ashamed of the situation. She recognised that she needed help and no longer wished to keep animals.

Both cats have been looked after by the RSPCA’s Doncaster, Rotherham and District Branch. A confiscation order was also imposed by the court after Whitton had refused to sign them over.

Speaking after the conclusion of the case inspector Taylor said: "The owner of these cats was given ample opportunity to rectify the situation but conditions did not improve and it was simply unacceptable for any animal to be living like that.

"It wasn’t just the conditions inside the flat. Both cats had not received anything like the right level of care or seen a vet, resulting in them being neglected and suffering from severe dental issues and skin allergies."