Woman who abandoned cats in filthy home strewn with nappies handed payback order

A woman who abandoned two cats in a property, leaving one to die and another without food, has been handed a community payback order.

Kayleigh McDonald pled guilty at Ayr Sheriff Court on October 7 to abandoning the two cats and failing to provide the animals adequate hydration and nutrition. She also admitted causing one cat “unnecessary suffering” and failing to seek veterinary care.

She was handed the payback order, as well as 12 months supervision.

Scottish SPCA officers discovered the animals in a filthy, rubbish-strewn home in Ayr, which was covered in faeces, after being tipped off following a call to the charity’s helpline.

They attended the property with a search warrant and discovered the lifeless body of a grey/black and white domestic shorthair cat, which was lying among the rubbish.

The animal was in poor body condition, severely emaciated and its bones could be easily felt, an inspector said.

A Scottish SPCA officer said: “When searching the property for the remaining cats, the environment was very unsanitary. Cat faeces could be seen in the covering areas in the home alongside general household waste, clothes and children’s toys. There was no access to food or fresh water in the residence, the only water available was in the toilet bowl.

“An old, rock hard and stale baguette was found partially eaten and bags of rubbish including used nappies had been torn open in a clear attempt to find food. The litter tray in the hallway was saturated and full of faeces.”

One cat was found alive in the property and was immediately taken for urgent treatment.

The deceased cat underwent a postmortem, in which it was found the pet was severely emaciated with no signs of disease. The severity of its condition indicated it has been without food for a long period of time.

The surviving cat recovered well in the care of the Scottish SPCA Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre and went on to find its forever home.

The Scottish SPCA is urging anyone who is struggling to care for their animals to contact its Helpline on 03000 999 999.