The woman’s dog was saved just in time (Picture: RSPCA)
A woman who let her two cats starve to death has been banned from keeping animals ever again.
Bernadette Gallivan, from Bradford, abandoned her pets when she moved out of her home, The Yorkshire Post reports.
One of the cats, called Bentley, was dead in the skin with traces of plastic found in its stomach.
Another cat, a black and white male called Mischief was discovered wedged between a set of drawers and a wall under the attic stairs.
Edie was given a body condition score of just one out of nine (Picture: RSPCA)
However, a small Jack Russell dog, called Edie, was found alive, after managing to survive by chewing open food and drink cartons.
Edie weighed just 3.9 kilograms when she was discovered and was given a body condition score of only one out of nine.
The emaciated dog was said to be extrememly meek when discovered, and was so malnourished her ribs were visible.
Leeds Magistrates Court heard how Bernadette had moved in with a friend about half a mile away – but never returned home to feed her pets.
An RSPCA inspector visited the property on January 19, but received no answer.
A locksmith was then used to get into the property two days later.
Inspectors found Edie shut in the kitchen, which was covered in rubbish.
Edie has managed to chew through food cartons to survive (Picture: RSPCA)
‘The dog was very meek, timid and appeared petrified,’ Inspector Taylor said.
‘The kitchen sides were full of cups, old spoiled milk, eggs shells and pots.
‘She ran out into the front room and started eating the cat food I had posted the previous day. I put her on a lead and walked her to my van, she felt light as a feather.’
Other rooms in the house were so cluttered inspectors could not gain entry.
Inspectors then found Bentley, a white and tabby cat, curled up dead upstairs in the bathroom sink.
The house was so cluttered inspectors struggled to gain entry (Picture: RSPCA)
The barely recognisable body of Mischief was then discovered upside down between a set of wooden drawers and a wall under the attic stairs.
Speaking after the conclusion of the case, inspector Taylor said: ‘When I opened the bathroom door and saw Bentley’s emaciated body curled up in the sink it was a deeply saddening and distressing sight. Both cats had starved to death and one had even eaten plastic to try and stay alive.
‘Luckily Edie was found just in time, she’s recovered well and is now living in a lovely new home.
‘One of the most harrowing things about this investigation was that Gallivan was staying within walking distance the whole time, but she chose not to go back to her property, allowing all of her pets to suffer.’
The two cats were found to have died from starvation (Picture: RSPCA)
Starvation was the likely cause of death for the cats.
Edie’s weight has now increased 6.8 kilograms.
A vet told the court: ‘In my opinion all three of these animals showed an extreme absence of fat and extreme level of muscular wastage that indicated they had been subjected to a prolonged period of starvation’
Gallivan pleaded guilty to four animal welfare offences, and was also given a 12-month community order, with a requirement to carry out 20 RAR days, and ordered to pay costs of £100 and a victim surcharge of £95.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
For more stories like this, check our news page.
The woman’s dog was saved just in time.
