A man has been told he narrowly avoided being sent to prison after allowing his two cats to suffer in filthy living conditions in a flat in Barnsley.
Several weeks of decaying faeces and piles of rubbish were found littered throughout the property at Roundwood Court in Worsbrough, with magistrates describing the conditions as ‘horrendous.’
Living amongst the debris was a ginger and white male cat called Pud and a male tabby cat called Curly Tail who were both underweight and suffering from a severe flea infestation.
At a sentencing hearing last Thursday (16 May), Darren Woodhouse was given a 12 week prison sentence – suspended for 12 months – and disqualified from keeping animals for ten years following a prosecution brought by the RSPCA.
He had admitted two charges contrary to the Animal Welfare Act 2006 at an earlier hearing.
Magistrates heard how Woodhouse had been given a warning notice by the RSPCA in July 2023 about the appalling conditions at the property and had been told to clean it up or sign the cats over into the charity’s care.
In written evidence to the court, RSPCA Inspector Jack Taylor described what he saw on that visit: “The landing area was filled with household rubbish and bin bags. The room to the left, which was mostly blocked by bin bags, was also stacked with black bags. To the right was a bedroom, also covered in household rubbish with a dirty mattress, no bedding and general clutter. Cat faeces were seen on the floor under the window.
“The kitchen at the end of the hallway was unsanitary and unsuitable for food preparation. In the kitchen amongst the rubbish was a tabby cat who Darren called Curly Tail. The sink was full of cat empty food tins, the floor, like everywhere else in the house, was sticky.
“Finally I saw the cluttered living room which had a large leather sofa and an armchair. I couldn’t see the floor for rubbish and pieces of clothing. Behind the sofa were more bin bags, clothing, and numerous empty beer cans crushed and thrown aside. The floor was also littered with cigarette butts.
“I spoke to Darren and told him the conditions were appalling and he had two options; sign the animals over to the RSPCA for rehoming as this was not the first time we had attended over complaints of poor conditions, or be given the opportunity to clean up.”
Inspector Taylor returned with a colleague the following month to check on the conditions but there was no answer and calls to Woodhouse – who was advised that a warrant would be sought to enter the flat – went straight to voicemail.
On 8 September police contacted Inspector Taylor to say they’d gone to the property to arrest Woodhouse. The situation had got worse, with the floor in the kitchen now entirely covered in rubbish and a litter tray in the same room overflowing with faeces. Pud and Curly Tail were seized by the police and taken by the inspector for veterinary treatment.
In written evidence to the court, the vet who examined them said Pud weighed 3.27 kg and had a body condition score of two out of nine. His ribs, back and pelvic bones were easily felt and he had significant areas of crusting on his body with many live fleas seen.Curly Tail weighed 2.32 kg and was given the same body score condition by the vet. He had no palpable fat reserves and was also suffering from a severe flea allergy.
“The images shown to me by Inspector Taylor depict an environment totally unacceptable for housing cats or other companion animals,” said the vet. “No water bowl was present and the only images of food that were captured was of a small amount of cat food in a sealed container that was not accessible to them. The large amount of litter and debris in the home posed a risk of injury to both of them. The litter tray had not been cleaned or emptied in several weeks.
“Both cats were significantly underweight and mildly dehydrated and had secondary anaemia. Pud had a naturally occurring flea hypersensitivity which had made him uniquely sensitive to the bites of fleas, to such an extent that he was self traumatising his skin in response.
“The owner had therefore failed to protect either of their cats from illness or suffering. In my professional opinion I would attribute a minimum period of suffering of three months for both cats, with a range of three to six months being most probable.”
Woodhouse, now of Ayrton Road in Barnsley, was also told to complete up to 30 hours of RAR days and pay costs of £500. Magistrates told him his lack of previous convictions and early guilty plea had led them to suspend the prison sentence although it was a ‘close-run thing.’
They said the effect on Pud and Curly Tail was obvious and Woodhouse should have acted to alleviate their suffering, adding the case was aggravated by the fact he’d been given the opportunity to address the situation and had failed to do so.
In mitigation, the court was told that Woodhouse had a drug addiction and had since been evicted from the property. He was now living with a family member and was engaging with support services.
Pud and Curly Tail were signed over by him during the course of the investigation. They were cared for at the RSPCA’s Sheffield Branch and have since been happily rehomed.
Speaking after the case Inspector Taylor said: “The living conditions inside the flat were not fit for humans or animals. The owner in this case was given ample opportunity to clean up and provide a safe and comfortable environment for Pud and Curly Tail, but he failed to do so. The cats also suffered because they were infested with fleas and veterinary advice and treatment was not sought. With the right treatment and care at our Sheffield Branch animal centre they both recovered well and have since been happily adopted.”
