Man banned from selling animals after keeping 12 kittens in 'dark and dirty' shed

A West Lothian man has been fined and banned from selling animals after keeping 12 malnourished and dehydrated kittens in a dark and dirty shed.

Clayton Hopwood, of Winchburgh, was found to be selling cats that were unwell and being kept in dark sheds and chicken coops for more than £1,000 each.

His mother, Deborah Hopwood, was also admonished, and they both pleaded guilty to failing to meet the needs of 12 cats at Livingston Sheriff Court on Thursday, March 12.

Clayton also pleaded guilty to breeding kittens without the required licence.

The Scottish SPCA was called to the Hopwood’s rural property after being contacted by a buyer who purchased a kitten on October 18, 2024.

‘Malnourished and dehydrated’

After appearing to be unwell, the buyer’s kitten was taken to a vet for assessment and was found to be malnourished and dehydrated.

The animal had a Body Condition Score of 1/5, indicating a severe lack of food or significant underlying disease.

It was also found to be closer to five weeks old rather than the reported 15 weeks on the Vets4Pets advert.

The kitten had to be euthanised due to being too unwell to save.

The buyer reported that the other kittens at the property appeared to have diarrhoea and smelled strongly of faeces.

Dark and unclean sheds

A Scottish SPCA Inspector subsequently made a number of visits to the Hopwoods’ home, requesting contact be made to discuss the matter.

Clayton Hopwood advised that he and his mother had bred three litters of kittens that year as part of a business called Glendevon Kittens, which he described as mostly a “hobby”.

The kittens were left in the shed Supplied

Hopwood agreed to a visit and all remaining kittens were found to be healthy at this time.

An Animal Welfare Notice was issued advising that no animal should be sold when unwell, and that any trader who breeds three or more litters a year must register with their local council.

In May 2025, another call was made to the Scottish SPCA by a potential buyer who flagged concerns that several litters of kittens, smelling strongly of urine and faeces, were being advertised.

Officers attended with a West Lothian Council Enforcement Officer and were met by Deborah Hopwood.

She showed them a small dog cage which was housing one adult cat and two kittens. The litter tray inside the cage was dirty and the water bowl was empty.

After initially stating that there were no more cats at the house, officers found four more adult cats and a further litter of ragdoll kittens in dark, unclean and poorly ventilated sheds and chicken coops within the detached property’s spacious grounds.

The smell of ammonia within the sheds was described as “pungent” and there were no windows allowing the animals any natural light.

Other kittens were left in a chicken coop Supplied

The space allocated to the number of cats in the sheds was found to be barely adequate.

In total, 12 cats were discovered at the address, four of which were suffering from moderate to severe ear mite infestations.

All the cats were taken into the care of the Scottish SPCA and have since recovered and been rehomed.

Sentencing

Hopwood has been banned from dealing in animals for eight months and fined £730 alongside a victim surcharge.

The Scottish SPCA said it was “very disappointed” by the sentence and called for a “complete ban on owning, keeping and breeding animals”.

The rest of the kittens have now been rehomed Supplied

The Scottish SPCA Inspector said: “I am very disappointed with the sentencing in this case. The Hopwood’s did not appear to lack the resources to provide their animals with a good quality of life, with ample land at their property to ensure the cats had sufficient space.

“This was a lucrative business with the pedigree kittens being advertised for more than £1,000 each. It appeared that very little of this profit was being spent on the welfare or wellbeing of the cats.

“A complete ban on owning, keeping and breeding animals would have removed the potential for this to happen again. The Hopwood’s could have bred cats to a much better welfare standard but chose to keep them in dark, dirty sheds with no human interaction or even natural light.”