Painted windows hid cat woman’s cruel secrets
APENSIONER banned from keeping pets tried to hide the fact she was mistreating eight more cats by painting over her windows.
The crude white-washing of windows of Jennifer Parnell’s home near Bristol was an attempt to hide the faeces-ridden rooms inside, where eight cats were found in what the RSPCA said was an ‘unsuitable environment’.
One of the eight cats was in such a bad condition it had to be put to sleep because it had been left to suffer with a blocked bladder.
Parnell, 74, was convicted of animal welfare offences in 2012 and received a 10-year disqualification order from owning cats or dogs.
But when the RSPCA got into her home in Beaconfield Road, Clevedon, they found she had eight cats, and they were living in squalid conditions, described in the charges as a “malodorous and ammonia contaminated room without adequate light or ventilation or facilities”.
RSPCA acting chief inspector Stephanie Daly said: “This could have all been avoided if the disqualification order had not been breached.
“The courts impose disqualification orders for a reason - to protect animals from suffering and neglect at the hands of people who have been convicted of doing so.
“We rely on the public to inform us if someone has breached a ban and take this very seriously - as do the courts,” she added.
Parnell was brought to court but initially didn’t turn up - and had to be brought back to court under a warrant.
She was convicted of three charges: » between January 29 and January 31 causing unnecessary suffering to a black and white male cat, by failing to provide prompt veterinary care for an animal suffering pain due to a blocked bladder
» not taking steps to ensure the needs of the seven cats for which she was responsible were met
» Owning and keeping eight cats in breach of a disqualification order made by Taunton Deane and West Somerset Magistrates’ Court in March 2012 which disqualified her for a period of 10 years,
Parnell was sentenced to 26 weeks in prison, suspended for two years, and saw her disqualification on keeping cats or dogs extended until 2038. She was also ordered to pay £2,000 towards boarding costs for the cats, who will now be found new homes.