More than 100 guinea pigs and dozens of cats were found living in filthy and hazardous conditions in a house in Newport, a court has heard. The RSPCA described the scene as the worst an experienced inspector had seen.
When RSPCA inspectors and police officers searched the property, they were met by an "extremely overwhelming smell of ammonia" and found rooms full of dirt, soiled litter trays, faeces, and animals. Scores of guinea pigs were running loose around the living room. A total of five guinea pigs and six cats had to be put down on welfare grounds.
Couple sentenced and banned from keeping animals
Helen Elizabeth Weston, 61, and Michael Bernard Weston, 73, of Sir Charles Square, Duffryn, Newport, pleaded guilty to five offences under the Animal Welfare Act. They were each sentenced to 12 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, ordered to pay £200 towards prosecution costs and a £154 victim surcharge, and banned from keeping animals for life.
Newport Magistrates Court heard that RSPCA inspectors, vets, and police officers attended the couple's home in May last year following concerns for the welfare of a cat called Mogs. The RSPCA had previously dealt with animal welfare concerns at the property over a period of years and had offered to rehome and help with neutering, but those offers were not accepted and the RSPCA had not been given access to the property.
Inspector describes 'worst' conditions
In her witness statement, RSPCA chief inspector Emma Smith told the court: "As we entered the hallway there was an extremely overwhelming smell of ammonia which continued right throughout the property. The property was extremely cluttered with household items strewn everywhere and there was dust, cobwebs, dirt, grime, live and dead flies all in abundance throughout the property."
The court heard it took a vet, vet nurse, and multiple RSPCA officers "hours" to locate and confine all the guinea pigs, many of which were running loose. Inspectors found a total of 31 cats living in rooms and hallways throughout the three-storey property, including a "small bathroom" described as "in no way fit for purpose to either use as a toilet or as a room to keep cats". Rooms were dirty, cluttered, and strewn with faeces and soiled litter, and lacked ventilation and clean water.
The worst room was the living room. Chief inspector Smith said: "This room contained an uncountable amount of guinea pigs and was nothing like I had ever seen before. There were in excess of 100 guinea pigs, multiple running loose and others confined to cat baskets or small indoor guinea pig enclosures, multiple of which were stacked on top of each other or had fallen to an angle. The environment was the worst I have seen, with ground down faeces so thick and hard that it had produced a 'mud carpet' throughout the living room."
Animals rescued and rehomed
The court heard that the legs and bottoms of furniture had rotted, with large holes in sofas that guinea pigs ran in and out of, exposed to springs and rotten wood. Drinking bottles attached to cages were empty, and guinea pigs were observed trying to access water. Many of the guinea pigs were found to be pregnant.
A total of 114 guinea pigs and 31 cats were taken into RSPCA care during the visit. Five guinea pigs and six cats were subsequently put to sleep on welfare grounds. After treatment and care, the rescued animals were taken to RSPCA animal centres and subsequently rehomed.
Following sentencing, chief inspector Smith said: "All animals deserve to be treated with kindness and should have their needs met. Owners are responsible for their pets' needs and must seek help if things get out of hand. Neutering is so important and there are so many benefits, not to mention preventing unwanted offspring. Unfortunately we are seeing more multi-animal cases in general and we urge anyone who is struggling to seek help. I'd like to thank everyone who was involved in this case, from those involved in the initial rescue to the vets, and branches and centres who took on the animals. These animals have now been happily rehomed."
