Starving pet ate dead cat's body after owner abandoned them 'for weeks'

A woman has been banned from owning pets for 12 years after RSPCA inspectors discovered one of her cats eating another’s body after she abandoned them.

Leanne McConnell's cats had been left alone for so long that one of them died of thirst and starvation, while the other, along with a dog, were found emaciated and distressed. McConnell's home was also in a disgusting state - with rubbish and animal faeces littering the floor and a strong smell of urine.

It was in the filthy downstairs bedroom that inspectors found a cat, which McConnell called 'Fat S***' eating the remains of McConnell's other cat 'Tilly', the Liverpool Echo reports. The surviving cat had a matted coat and protruding bones, Sefton Magistrates' Court heard.

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A dog - named 'Chunks - was also discovered at the property in the Norris Green area of Liverpool.

RSPCA animal welfare inspector Anthony Joynes visited house with police on November 14 2021 after members of the public voiced concern. When he arrived at the home on Hollingbourne Road, a neighbour told him they had not seen her for weeks.

He managed to call the 31 year-old and she came round to the house to let him in, where he eventually found the distressing scene. Inspector Joynes said: “All of the bones of the male tabby cat were easily palpable through his skin. He also had a marked skin tent and was clearly distressed being found actively feeding on a deceased black and white cat.

“The dead cat appeared to have had her rear legs and pelvic region stripped of the soft tissues leaving exposed bone. The rest of the carcass was in very poor condition with very little muscle and all bones easily palpable