Disgusting look inside faeces-caked pet house of horrors where 30 cats, pair of dogs forced to live in complete squalor
WARNING: COMMITTED IMAGES
The horrific conditions in which a couple forced 30 cats and two dogs to live were revealed following an animal cruelty investigation.
Kelly and Matthew De La Haye, from Mount Barker, were sentenced this week after pleading guilty to 24 counts of animal cruelty.
The convictions followed an investigation by the RSPCA in South Australia, which found the couple had forced 30 cats and two dogs to live together in squalor in a three-bedroom house.
When inspectors visited the property in Mount Barker, they were met with the disgusting odor of animal feces.
Upon entering the home, inspectors found droppings caked on the floors, walls and doors, and cats roaming freely throughout the home.
Alarming footage recorded by the RSPCA reveals the appalling conditions animals are left to live in.
Footage recorded on a body-worn camera shows the inspector searching around the property, which was filled with pools of feces and urine.
It shows how one of the dogs greeted them as soon as they arrived, while the other huddled helplessly on the bed.
Some of the cats look emaciated and sick.
Inspectors found that many of the animals inside were suffering from serious eye infections, while three kittens had diarrhea on the backs of their legs.
Every room on the property had animals living in their own filth.
While Ms De La Haye agreed to surrender 28 of the cats, the remaining two cats and two dogs were seized and taken to the RSPCA’s animal care campus in O’Halloran Hill.
She told investigators she was aware three of the kittens had been unwell for months and planned to take them to the vet.
However, no appointment was made.
Veterinary examinations have revealed that the pets suffer from a wide range of ailments, including cat flu, pink eye and dental disease, some of which require surgery.
Of the 32 animals rescued, 27 were able to recover and rehome, one died of natural causes, and four had to be humanely euthanized due to the severity of their condition.
RSPCA SA head of animal welfare Andrea Lewis said: “It is disappointing that this couple did not address their squalid and unhygienic conditions as they compromised the health and welfare of the animals in their care.
“We seriously urge people to only keep pets that they have the resources to adequately care for and to de-sex their animals as required by law under the dog and cat management act.”
In the research, it was determined that only six of the rescued animals were desexed.
Appearing in Mount Barker Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, Mr and Mrs De La Haye were given a two-year, $200 good behavior bond and ordered to pay $6,672 per crime victim.
Judge Oliver Koehn also issued an order preventing the couple from owning any pets unless another decision is made.
All animals in their care have been transferred to the RSPCA.
