Woman traps 23 'terrified' cats in wheelie bin

A woman has admitted to causing "immense" suffering to 23 cats by trapping them inside a wheelie bin without food or water.

Sharon Price, from Epsom in Surrey, placed the cats inside the bin and secured the lid with a disused microwave, leaving them terrified and unable to move.

The RSCPA said those at the bottom of the pile were "slowly crushed and suffocated by the weight of the others pressing down on them".

It added that the cats' urine dripped down to the bottom of the bin, soaking the bodies of those below and burning their airways.

"The ones higher were tangled in a metal grid with no way to escape. They had no option but to stand or lay on the dead bodies of other cats below them," according to the charity.

"They all would have experienced extreme fear and physical pain," it added.

Eight of the cats died, while the 15 survivors were found severely dehydrated, underweight and covered in fleas.

They had been in complete darkness on what was a "hot day", the RSPCA said.

Price was given a four-month prison sentence suspended for two years at Kingston Crown Court on 5 March.

She has been banned from keeping felines and dogs for 10 years, plus ordered to complete a 10-day rehabilitation course.

In mitigation, the court was told the defendant had mental and physical health issues.

The cats were discovered by local housing association staff and rescued by Cats Protection.

Price claimed she had found the cats in nearby woodland and was advised by an animal charity to place them in a secured bin when she was moving out of a property.

"Our enquiries did not support that account," said RSPCA Inspector Liz Wheeler.

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