Pair who hoarded cats banned from keeping animals after 11 died in house fire
A pair of men have been banned from keeping animals for 10 years after 11 cats were killed in a blaze in a home that was used as an animal shelter.
The blaze revealed how owners Martin Clowes, 55, and Gavin Cromwell, 42, kept 24 cats living in a home full of rubbish, urine, and faeces in Bridgend, Wales.
Rubbish bags filled with cat litter were piled 6ft high around the place and cat poo was spread across the floor when it was visited in March 2023, Swansea Magistrates Court heard.
While 13 other cats managed to survive in the makeshift animal shelter and were taken in by the RSPCA, the others weren’t so lucky.
RSPCA animal rescue officer Paula Milton said: ‘The smell from the house was so strong with urine and faeces.
‘As I entered the house there was a smell of smoke but the smell of urine and faeces was overpowering the smell of the smoke.
‘In the living room there were lots and lots of black rubbish bags full of soiled cat litter.
‘The rest of the living room was covered with clutter and the floor was covered in faeces. There were a few deceased cats in the living room on the floor.’
In the bathroom Paula found three live cats living among piles of cat poo.
She said Clowes and Cromwell did not live at the property but Clowes would check in and feed the cats two to three times a week.
RSPCA deputy chief inspector Gemma Cooper said the environment where the cats were living was ‘not safe, clean or hygienic’.
She added there was no physical and mental stimulation for the cats and they didn’t have enough space.
The RSPCA also removed 30 cats from the property in 2021 when Clowes and Cromwell admitted they could not cope.
Clowes and Cromwell pleaded guilty to one offence under the Animal Welfare Act in that they both failed to meet the needs of 24 cats in terms of a suitable environment.
They were sentenced to 12 weeks imprisonment suspended for 12 months.
In mitigation the court heard they had good intentions but lost control, and both were remorseful.
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