House was too filthy for fleas

A woman who kept 50 cats in a squalid house of horror has escaped prison.

Joan Adams' terraced home in Clayton, Manchester was so filthy even fleas refused to live there, a court heard.



Two dead kittens were left rotting in a cupboard, 4ft piles of excrement covered the floors and five cats had to be put down after the RSPCA was called to the address.

Miss Adams, 67, was given a 12-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months and ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work.



She was also banned from keeping animals - despite an attempt to keep two of the cats she was most fond of.

Anna McDonald, prosecuting at Manchester Magistrates Court, said: "These cats walked, sat and slept in their own excrement. The conditions were so bad that even flea eggs could not survive. This is a case where a life ban from keeping animals is appropriate."

With news video.