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.
Ms Faultless, 66, refused to accept anything was wrong with the cats and denied they needed veterinary treatment, but admitted to needing help.
Birmingham Crown Court heard she was not ‘deliberately cruel’ and that her behaviour was down to a mental health disorder.
Nearly 100 cats were removed from a woman’s home in Sutton Coldfield, with one kitten found dead
Marissa Faultless (pictured) admitted to the judge that she ‘needed help’ but denied that her cats were unwell
Pictured: One of the nearly 100 cats rescued from Ms Faultless’s home. Ms Faultless has been banned from owning pets for 10 years
The 66-year-old mother 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.
Judge Peter Carr recognised sentenced her to a 12-month community order on Tuesday April 9, including 15 days of rehabilitation activity and 12 sessions of psychological intervention. Ms Fautless has also been banned from keeping cats for ten years.
Confirming 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.’
Sara Pratt, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said the case had a ‘long history’ with the police and Birmingham City Council, who both tried to work with Ms Faultless following initial complaints.
Ms Pratt stated in April 2021 that the pet owner 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.
Vets assess a cat removed from the home. Ms Faultless was handed a 12-month community order on Tuesday
Her house was found to have a huge heap of rubbish in the garden piled up as high as the fence
Ms Pratt continued: ‘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, with Ms Faultless refusing to formally sign any of them over to the RSPCA. In an interview she accepted ownership of them but denied there were signs of flu or ringworm.
Ms 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 to struggling to manage her many pets, Ms Pratt said.
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.
Several of the cats rescued had flu as well as fleas, after Ms Faultless failed to formally refer them to the RSPCA. The property was reported to smell of faeces and urine
The court was told a small number of cats had to have eyes removed due to severe flu to which Ms 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.’