Cat owners banned from keeping animals after pet's eyes burst
A couple who allowed their cat to become emaciated and suffer with ruptured eyes have been banned from keeping all animals for life.
Peter Rogers, aged 64, and Debbie Rogers, 60, appeared before Telford Magistrates’ Court for sentencing after neglecting their Persian cat Toffee, who was so poorly she had to be put down.
The couple, of Alkington Road, Whitchurch, had both pleaded guilty to two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal at an earlier hearing, where the vet who examined Toffee said the case was one of the clearest cases of severe neglect that he had seen in the last decade.
RSPCA inspector Nayman Dunderdale visited the couple’s property on June 8 this year after the charity received a report about a matted silver tabby cat that was limping.
Peter Rogers told the inspector that Toffee, who was aged between four and five, had cancer and her eyes were missing. He said she needed to be put to sleep and it was his fault they had left it so long.
In his statement, Mr Dunderdale said: “Mr Rogers brought the cat to me. Her eyes were closed and matted with green gunk and she looked very thin, with the bones of her hip spine and hind quarters easily visible. Mr Rogers asked me to take her, and said she needed to be put to sleep. I asked that Toffee be brought to my van so I could put her in a basket.”
Toffee was taken straight to a vet where she was examined and found to be emaciated, with a body condition score of just one out of nine. She weighed 1.1kg (2.4lbs) and should have been at least 2 to 2.5kg (between 4.4lbs and 5.5lbs).
Both her eyes had ruptured many days or even weeks before, indicated by the presence of thick dried discharge all over her eye sockets and cheeks, which were embedded with matted hair. The discharge was also present on both her forelimbs where she had rubbed herself in an effort to relieve the discomfort.
The vet who examined Toffee said: “She had a gentle nature despite the horrendous discomfort she was no doubt experiencing. Unfortunately, her welfare was so severely compromised, and with such a slim chance of returning her to an acceptable level of quality of life, that she was euthanised shortly after examination.
“Corneal pain is one of the most acute and severe pain an animal can experience as the cornea is incredibly sensitive to even the lightest trauma. Her owners plainly ignored obvious signs of severe pain and distress over a prolonged period of time. They also allowed her to become very underweight to the point of emaciation.”
He added: “I have been a practicing small animal veterinary surgeon for over 15 years. I regularly see cats with sore eyes of varying severity in my daily work. I also work alongside a vet with an interest in veterinary ophthalmology and we communicate regularly about cases, so I am very familiar with corneal issues in cats. In the course of the last decade this is one of the clearest cases of severe neglect that I have seen.”
In addition to the lifetime ban on keeping all animals, the couple were ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and pay costs of £250 and a £95 victim surcharge.
In mitigation, the court heard that there had been bereavement and illness in the family and Peter Rogers was having mental health difficulties and struggling to cope generally.
In total 15 animals which were owned by the couple have since been rehomed.
Speaking after sentencing, Mr Dunderdale said: “It was clear that Toffee had been suffering pain and distress for a long time and her owners should have done the right thing by her and sought treatment at the earliest opportunity. Her quality of life was so poor at the end that there was no other option but to end her suffering. We always urge people to seek help if they are struggling to look after their pets, rather than letting the situation deteriorate to the extent that it did with Toffee.”
