Bradford woman left cats to starve to death after moving out of house full of rubbish
A woman who moved out of her house, leaving her two cats starve to death, has been banned from keeping animals indefinitely.
The body of one of the cats was found in the sink of the house at Carr Street, Bradford, after Bernadette Gallivan left.
The RSPCA said examinations carried out after his death suggested he had resorted to eating plastic.
Another cat was found dead wedged between a set of drawers and a wall.
The sole survivor, a severely emaciated Jack Russell dog, had been confined to the kitchen without food or drink and had chewed her way through food and drink cartons.
A court heard how Gallivan, 47, moved out of the property in Carr Street to live with a friend in Manchester Road - half a mile away - but did not return to the house to feed her pets, despite the fact that she also worked in a nearby cafe.
When an RSPCA inspector visited the Carr Street address in January of last year seals were placed over the property’s front door and there was tape on the lock.
The inspector posted cat food through the letterbox the following day, but the seals were still intact and police and a locksmith were then contacted to force entry.
They found the house full of rubbish, clothes and faeces. Some of the rooms were so cluttered they were inaccessible.
An adult white and tabby cat called Bentley was found dead in the sink of the bathroom. The barely recognisable body of another cat, a black and white male called Mischief, was discovered upside down between a set of wooden drawers and a wall under the attic stairs.
The dog, Edie, was found shut in a kitchen area, standing on rubbish and surrounded by chewed up waste.
Gallivan, pleaded guilty to four animal welfare offences at Bradford Magistrates Court. She was banned from keeping animals indefinitely and was given a 12-month community order.
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