Man who kept cats in filthy basement fined $6,000

An Edmonton man has been fined $6,000 after a dozen cats kept in squalid conditions were removed from his central Edmonton home.

Animal protection officers with the Edmonton Humane Society found the cats in the rental home of 37-year-old Michael Thibaudeau and his mother after their landlord reported them in December. Though the main floor of the home had debris stacked to the ceilings, all the cats were kept in the basement.

The cats were kept in kennels crusted with fur, urine and feces that had accumulated over months, prosecutor Christian Lim told court. The stench was suffocating.

“It made it difficult to move around, breathe and even reach the animals,” according to an agreed statement of facts. “The cats were noted to be living in or sitting in urine and feces with lack of food and water.”

The dozen cats were filthy, dehydrated and malnourished, court heard. The animals required more than $6,500 worth of veterinary work before they could be adopted back into the community, Lim said.

Thibaudeau was in the process of moving out after being evicted when his landlord reported him to the humane society. He was unemployed, depressed and taking care of his elderly mother at the time.

“Things just went over his head and he was apologetic for letting things go so badly,” Lim told court.

“He and his mother love animals and he would never intend to hurt any living creature. He tried to look after the cats, but with everything going on in his life at the time, things got out of hand and unfortunately the cats suffered.”

On Friday, Thibaudeau pleaded guilty to one charge of failing to provide adequate space and ventilation under the Animal Protection Act. The $6,000 fine is the largest in Alberta’s history for that particular charge, Lim said.

Thibaudeau is also banned from owning pets for a decade.