Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Lauren Davidson & Abigail O'Leary

Woman banned from keeping animals after kittens killed by severe flea infestation

A woman has been banned from keeping animals for a decade after three of her kittens died as a result of a severe flea infestation.

Kerri Dunstan, 35, from Grimsby, admitted causing unnecessary suffering to three kittens by a failure to act, namely by failing to provide adequate or any parasitic control.

This led to the kittens becoming anaemic, which then led to the animals' deaths, reports Grimsby Live.

She also pleaded guilty to failing to take reasonable steps to ensure the needs of the animals were met, namely by failing to provide any or adequate parasitic control, to investigate and address the cause of the kittens' poor bodily condition and to failing to take any steps to resolve any severe flea infestation affecting the animals.

She was disqualified from keeping animals for ten years and was handed a 16-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months at Grimsby Crown Court.

She was ordered to pay costs of £500 and a victim services surcharge of £154. One adult cat has also been surrendered to the RSPCA.

In a separate case, RSCPA officers discovered 167 animals "piled high" on top on one another at a squalid home in Northamptonshire last month.

Officers visited the property after a 999 call was made over concerns about a bad smell and flies buzzing at the windows in February

When police initially entered the address in Rushden they were horrified to discover over 167 rabbits, ferrets, hamsters, mice, guinea pigs and birds inside.

The poor animals were living in cramped, dirty and unsuitable conditions - including some forced to share cages with dead animals.

Body-cam footage captured police arriving at the address and one female officer saying: "I've never seen anything like it."

Dozens of cages containing animals can be seen piled on top of each other inside every room as the officer makes her way around the small property.

The officer adds: "Oh my God. There are birds, ferrets, rats, all sorts in every single room. They clearly cannot remain here.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.