RSPCA: woman banned from owning pets for five years after starving cats to death

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A Greater Manchester woman who starved two cats to death and caused unnecessary suffering to a third has been given a 20-week suspended sentence in court - and a five year ban from owning animals.

Donna Laithwaite, 48, has this month been sentenced in the Wigan and Leigh Court House after she earlier pleaded guilty to three counts of causing unnecessary suffering to her cats, following an RSPCA prosecution.

The court heard that in October 2021, RSPCA animal rescue officer Alison Wilford was called to Laithwaite’s rental home in Wigan after the landlord notified the RSPCA of a dead cat in the property.

“I went into the property with the landlord and found a slim tabby and white cat," Ms Wilford said. "The lounge was cluttered, with empty food bowls on the floor. I went upstairs to the bedroom where the landlord had advised the dead cat was - the smell in the room was foul."

She told the court there were faeces all over the bed and in the corner of the room, with lots of empty cat food boxes scattered around. Under the bed she found a spare mattress with a dead cat lying on top of it.

“Upon leaving the property I realised I was absolutely covered in fleas from the inside. I spoke to a neighbour who said they hadn’t seen Donna for a few weeks and believed she had moved elsewhere with her boyfriend," Ms Wilford continued.

Later that day, accompanied by the police, she returned to the house to remove the dead cat and to take the surviving one into RSPCA care. However, upon closer inspection of the property, they soon discovered a second dead cat.

"We removed the dead cats from the property and took the surviving cat to RSPCA Greater Manchester Animal Hospital for veterinary treatment. I made multiple attempts to contact Donna but to no avail."

She was able to briefly speak to Laithwaite's boyfriend, who insisted the cats were being regularly fed, but he was also unable to make contact with her.

Ms Wilford was not able to get hold of Laithwaite until December. She admitted ownership of the cats, and said she had locked two of the cats in a bedroom to stop them fighting with the tabby cat - whose name was Bobby.

In his witness statement, veterinary surgeon Sean Taylor said that both of the deceased cats were emaciated due to a lack of food, and all three cats had been living in an environment containing a lot of faeces and urine. The cats were also suffering from a severe flea infestation.

RSPCA inspector Deborah Beats, who oversaw the case for the RSPCA, said: “The death of both of these cats was entirely unnecessary and they must have suffered horribly."

Not only would they have been in pain from flea and ear mite infestations, she said, but they "were forced to live in appalling, squalid conditions".

“Both cats would have died a slow and entirely preventable death from starvation," she added.

Ms Beats hoped that Bobby, the surviving cat, would be able to find a new home with a loving family, once he finished his veterinary treatment with the RSPCA.