Three starved kittens found dead in shoe box after 'unimaginable' suffering

Three starved kittens were found dead in a shoe box after enduring "unimaginable" suffering when they were neglected.

Jan Marie Langridge took on a mother cat and seven kittens last April but due to her own vulnerabilities became "overwhelmed" by the responsibility of looking after them.

Newcastle Crown Court heard when RSPCA inspectors went to her home in NobleStreet, Sunderland, in September 2022 they found an "extremely smelly" attic room that was so acrid and pungent with the aroma of ammonia that the officers were "struggling to breathe".

Inside the room they found overflowing litter boxes, surrounded by mouldy faeces, a bowl containing rusty water and empty feeding trays.

The court heard two cats, which were in poor condition, were rescued from the room before the officers searched outside.

Prosecutor Alex Bousefield told the court: "A shoe box was found which contained three deceased cats. They were all effectively rolled up into one shoe box, one on top of the other."

Mr Bousefield said the animals' bodies were infested with fleas and maggots and there were signs one of them had resorted to cannibalism due to desperate hunger.

The court heard the mother cat and one kitten had also died and been buried and there was no evidence about their cause of death or condition they had been in and Langridge faced no charges in relation to them.

Another kitten is believed to now be living elsewhere.

Langridge, 36, who has never been in trouble before, admitted causing unnecessary suffering and failing to provide for the welfare of five cats.

Mr Recorder Shufqat Khan told her: "I struggle to imagine a more serious case in terms of harm and the suffering these five cats suffered.

"Three of them ended up dying and another two managed to be rescued.

"The suffering those cats and kittens must have endured can be described as almost unimaginable. Three starved to death."

The recorder said the case was "gross neglect" rather than deliberate actions intended to cause suffering and that Langridge's criminal culpability was reduced because of intellectual impairment.

He sentenced Langridge to six months, suspended for two years, with rehabilitation requirements and a lifelong ban from keeping cats.

Shada Mellor, defending, said Langridge had a troubled childhood has undergone a psychological assessment during the court process which has identified learning difficulties.

Miss Mellor told the court: "She is a well meaning person who doesn't recognise all of her limitations. She struggles to care for herself.

"Taking on this many cats, which she effectively did in good faith, was too overwhelming for her."

Miss Mellor said Langridge should have sought help from the authorities but "buried her head in the sand" and added: "She is upset about what happened and very remorseful."