A woman who opened the door to a home in Liverpool had no idea of the horrors she was entering.
RSPCA inspector Louise Showering was called to a house on Barmouth Way in Vauxhall in September 2022 following reports of dead animals and animals living in poor conditions. Showering put on a mask to go inside the house of horrors and said she "immediately" noticed a smell and flies everywhere.
A letting agent informed her they’d entered the home two days before and conditions inside the house were dire, with fleas and other parasites. Photos of a horrific home have been released by the RSPCA as showering described what she saw.
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Describing the conditions at the property, inspector Showering said in a witness statement: “Inside there were boxes and bags piled high making it difficult to see the floor. I had to stand on rubbish and cat litter in order to go up the stairs.
"The bathroom was in a filthy state with items covering the floor and inside the bath. The door of the back bedroom was off the hinges and resting against bags and the bed behind it.
"The window was partially obscured by piles of bags and there were many flies and fleas in the room. The landing was blocked by more items so I had to climb over these to reach the other two bedrooms.
"Inside the front larger bedroom, the bed was heavily soiled by faeces. I had to stand on rubbish just to get into the room. Inside the kitchen, I was again unable to see the floor due to the amount of rubbish.
"There was faeces and empty food packets, plastic and empty soiled bowls and litter trays. The kitchen itself was also filthy, with piles of faeces stacked up next to the sink and on the work surfaces.”
Sadly, in the living room and rear bedrooms, the RSPCA officer found the bodies of the two dead cats.
Ms Showering said: “In the lounge area, I saw a black bin bag over the top of one of the boxes. The letting agent informed me that he had spoken with Swash who told him that one of the dead cats was in a box in the lounge so I removed the box outside and found the body of a black domestic shorthaired cat inside.
"The cat appeared to have had a head injury and trauma to the eye area. In the rear bedroom, I saw a large number of fleas jumping on a blanket to the left of the door. I removed the blanket and discovered the body of a black domestic short-haired cat which appeared underweight and also had a flea infestation.”
It is believed the cat in the living room suffered head injuries following a crash. After the inspector left the home, more than 185 bites appeared over her body, which she said was the "worst case" of flea bites she had suffered in her 13 year career.
She said: "These caused me significant discomfort and an inability to sleep for a number of days due to the severity of the itching. This was an incredibly sad case which resulted in the neglect and suffering of multiple cats.
"These cats were not provided with a suitable environment in which to live due to the heavily soiled litter trays, a heavy build up of cat faeces on work surfaces, floors, beds and soft furnishings and unsafe living conditions due to the hoarding of items such as plastic bags, and stacked items, causing potential trapping or injury hazards.
“There were no safe, comfortable, clean places in which the cats could rest. The environment was such that it would be more difficult to spot an injured cat easily. They were heavily infested with fleas and there was a build-up of faeces and detritus which would create a breeding ground for disease.”
At the time the home belonged to Mandy Swash, 33, who now lives on Rosedale Avenue, Crosby. Swash also had two other female black and white cats which were moved out of the property previously. Maud, two, and Mabel, seven, appeared in normal bodily condition and no further issues were raised.
Swash was sentenced at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, January 4, where she was proven guilty in her absence. In mitigation, the court heard how her personal circumstances are different now in terms of mental health and therefore no disqualification order was imposed.
She was sentenced to a 12 month community order which includes 20 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days and was placed under a curfew between 7pm and 7am to last eight weeks. She was given 12 sessions of mental health treatment requirement and ordered to pay £114 victim surcharge.
She was also ordered to pay a further £1,250 in costs. The other two cats have remained in her care and are well looked after, receiving regular vet checks and flea treatment.
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