Mum kept nearly 100 cats in home that ‘smelled of death’ with rubbish piled as high as garden fence

Nearly 100 cats had to be removed from a woman's home which 'smelled like death'. One kitten was found dead at Marissa Faultless's address in Sutton Coldfield while some had to be euthanised and others had to have eyes removed due to cat flu.

On three occasions RSPCA inspectors were forced to raid her 'cluttered' address at Tower Road where the garden was piled with fence-high rubbish while inside wreaked of urine and faces. Faultless, a mum aged 66, refused to accept anything was wrong with the cats and denied they needed veterinary treatment.

But Birmingham Crown Court was told she was not 'deliberately cruel' and her behaviour was down to her mental health disorder. Faultless admitted six animal welfare offences, albeit she made a last-ditch bid to reverse the pleas in a ploy to keep her cats, which failed.

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On Tuesday, April 9 Judge Peter Carr recognised she needed 'help' and sentenced her to a 12-month community order. It included 15 days of rehabilitation activity and 12 sessions of psychological intervention. She was also banned from keeping cats for ten years.

Sara Pratt, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said there had been a 'long history' to the case with police and Birmingham City Council trying to work with her following initial complaints. She stated in April 2021 Faultless was provided with copies of the Animal Welfare Act as well as a code of practice for looking after cats to 'avoid her falling foul of the law'.

But Ms Pratt added 'nothing changed' and a warrant had to be executed on September 2 that year which resulted in the removal of 34 cats and kittens. A further 24 were spotted outside but officers could not catch them and did not have the legal power to seize them.

Ms Pratt said: "Outside of the house there was piled high rubbish in the garden as high as the fence. Inside the property there were a large number of cats and kittens. There was an overpowering smell of urine and a build-up of faeces in the living room. There were no suitable litter trays. The house was in a cluttered state."

A lot of the cats were suffering from cat flu as well as fleas. Faultless refused to formally sign any of them over to the RSPCA. She was interviewed and accepted ownership of them but denied there were signs of flu or ringworm.

Faultless also blamed Covid for failing to seek flea treatment but insisted the cats did not need to see a vet. She claimed she had not noticed the smell but admitted she struggled with how many pets she had, said Ms Pratt.

There were further visits to her home in June and July 2022 following more complaints which culminated in a second warrant executed in August. Ms Pratt said: "The conditions at the property had deteriorated. There was an overwhelming smell of urine, faeces and what was described by others as 'death'."

A dead kitten was found at the home while 26 cats had to be removed. One aged four-weeks old was particularly emaciated and had to be euthanised. A third raid took place in April 2023 when another 34 cats had to be taken away.

The court was told a small number of cats had to have eyes removed due to severe flu. At that point Faultless cried 'no, no, no that's not true' as she broke down in tears in the dock. One cat died after being operated on by the vet.

Ms Pratt said: "Clearly all of the cats had suffered pain and distress. A reasonably competent and humane person would have sought veterinary attention."

She told the court a number of cats died but the vast majority had been rehomed while some remained in boarding establishments awaiting to be adopted.

Queenie Djan, defending, said: "This is Ms Faultless's first time offending. It is not the case she was deliberately cruel. It is directly linked to a mental disorder she is suffering from. There is a history of her owning cats before her offending with no issues. She is receiving support from other organisations."

Judge Carr confirmed he had read a pre-sentence report and two psychiatric assessments. He told Faultless: "I think you need help having heard all about the case and read about you."

Faultless replied: "I need it judge. I need it."