17 hours ago
Inside squalid home where 43 cats found as RSPCA unable to even go upstairs over fears urine-soaked floor would COLLAPSE
PENSIONERS kept 43 cats inside a grim home where the urine-soaked floor was close to collapsing.
Faeces and rubbish covered the floor and windows of Ernest and Jean Frost's property - which had the worst smell experienced by an inspector in eight years.
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The pair kept dozens of Maine Coon and Ragdoll felines at their home in Chester-le-Street, County Durham.
The RSPCA were called to the address in February following concerns about the welfare of ten cats who were believed to be living there.
They were shocked to discover a clowder of 35 cats, who were initially rescued and rushed to the vets before another was discovered the following day.
A further seven were later handed over by the couple.
The state of the property was so bad that one officer was unable to make it to the top floor out of fear it would collapse due to ammonia damage.
One tiny kitten looked "close to death", the RSPCA inspector said.
Two adult cats and the "majority" of rescued kittens all sadly died.
A prosecution was sought against the pair and they later pleaded guilty to one Animal Welfare Act breach.
Ernest Frost, 71, and his wife, 68, were both handed a three-year disqualification from keeping animals at Peterlee Magistrates' Court in Durham.
In her written evidence, RSPCA Inspector Rowena Proctor said: "A female who I now know to be Jean Frost went to the rear patio doors and allowed us access.
"The smell inside was worse than the smell of any property I have ever been into.
"The conditions were appalling, with faeces covering the majority of the floors, window sills and up the walls.
"There was no visibly clean area anywhere aside from blankets on the sofa and some clean dishes on the side in the kitchen.
"I was immediately concerned for some kittens on the sofa who were in really poor condition.
"Several had their eyes sealed shut with discharge. One grey kitten in particular looked close to death, with its head back and open mouth breathing.
"The property had three floors but the landing area between the middle and top floor was so littered in rubbish and faeces that it was impossible to walk over without feeling like the floor would cave through, presumably due to ammonia damage, so I did not manage to access the top floor at all."
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"My throat burned and my eyes watered due to the huge amount of ammonia in the air."
The vet who examined the majority of the pets said it was likely that several infectious diseases were circulating within the home.
The kitten seen at the house with breathing difficulties was so poorly he was put to sleep and two others died after being hospitalised.
In her written evidence to the court the vet said: "Many of these cats were in poor body condition and were underweight.
"This is likely contributed to by underlying infectious disease and parasites, and competition for food from other cats.
"This is an excessive number of cats to keep in one household and will have caused direct psychological suffering to all them.
"It is likely that these animals suffered in these conditions for months but possibly years."
The nursing and pregnant females were cared for at the RSPCA's Felledge Animal Centre but sadly the majority of kittens who were born all died.
Two poorly adult cats, one of whom had given birth, were also put to sleep the following month with Jean Frost's consent.
In her interview with the RSPCA, Jean Frost said she wasn't a cat breeder and that all the litters were unintentional.
She said only two of the felines were neutered and she had "possibly lost track" of how many she had.
In his interview, her husband said he thought the kittens looked "alright" and the cats were "definitely not suffering' and they were managing the number they had.
The majority of surviving cats have already been adopted and ten others, which Jean Frost refused to sign over, can also now be legally rehomed by the charity after the court imposed a deprivation order.
Both were also ordered to pay £150 costs and in mitigation the court was told the couple were in poor health.
Speaking after the court hearing, Inspector Proctor said: "This was by far the worst smell I have encountered in eight years as an RSPCA Inspector.
"The cats were living in wholly unacceptable conditions and there were clearly far too many for the defendants to be able to manage and care for properly.
"Breeding had spiralled out of control, infection and disease were rife, and many of the kittens born into this environment were very poorly as a result.
"Even though they couldn't all be saved, the vast majority made a good recovery.
"I'd like to say a huge thank you to all the private boarding establishments and RSPCA centres who cared for the cats in this case, and to the many adopters who have welcomed them into their lives."
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