Rubery woman who starved and shaved cat banned from keeping animals

Prince the cat, shown shaved, anaemic and in a very poor body condition brought about by his owner. Credit: RSPCA

A woman from Rubery who shaved and starved her cat until he was 'ravenous' has been banned from keeping animals.

The RSPCA received a call concerning a "very thin" cat at an address in Cornwall Road, Rubery.

Upon arrival, officers found Prince a ginger and white cat, that weighed just six pounds, missing some fur.

The owner of Prince, Danisha Irving, told inspectors about Prince's poor condition. She admitted that she had not taken him to the vet and had shaved him because he was shedding so much fur.

Prince and another cat were confiscated from Irving's custody and put into proper care.

A vet who later examined Prince gave him a body conditioning score of two out of nine. The vet stated that Prince would have "suffered unnecessarily for a minimum of four to six weeks but in reality, likely longer".

Irving pleaded guilty to animal welfare offences at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on the 5th October. She was banned from owning cats for five years and given a 12-month community order.

The RSPCA also secured a deprivation order for Prince and a second cat owned by Irving. She must also pay a £40 fine and £140 costs.

Inspector Kate Levesley, who was first on the scene when the RSPCA were called out stated that Prince "looked very, very thin" and was "lively and appeared frantic in his movements".

In her report, the vet who treated Prince stated that he "arrived with anaemia and very poor body condition which in my professional opinion was due to ongoing lack of adequate nutrition. His appetite was ravenous and he exhibited aggressive behaviour around food, which I believe to have been caused by frustration due to hunger".

"Once treated for parasites  and on an appropriate diet and feeding regime, his weight quickly improved, with a 500g (1.1lb) increase after only four days of appropriate feeding, to nearly ideal condition within approximately five weeks. His anaemia resolved within a similar time frame."

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