Man who left cats to die 'should have been banned for life'

A man who left two cats to starve to death in a locked and dirty flat with no food or clean water should have been banned for life, according to the Scottish SPCA.

Ross Elliot, from Glasgow, has been banned from owning animals for ten years after being found guilty of animal cruelty for a second time.

The 36-year-old left Cheeki and Chilli in a locked room in a flat for weeks with no supervision after previously being handed a 12-month ban for causing a dog, which also starved to death. unnecessary suffering.

The animal welfare charity, who launched the initial investigation after finding the cats dead, have now expressed their dismay at the sentencing.

Scottish SPCA inspector Stacey Erwin said: “Three animals have now died in Ross Elliot’s care through circumstances which would have been completely avoidable if he had met their most basic needs of food and water.

“We believe he should have been given a lifetime ban as a minimum as it is clear he is not fit to own or care for animals and the previous short term ban he received clearly did not act as a deterrent.”

The SSPCA monitored the flat for several days before they could gain access and even tried feeding the cats by placing food through the letterbox.

However as they were locked in a room they were unable to gain access to the food source.

When officers gained access to the flat they found both bodies emaciated and infested with fleas and maggots alongside bin bags, unopen mail, heavily soiled litter trays and Christmas decorations were still up despite it being March 12.

There was no food available to the animals and only water source was an “extremely dirty” mop bucket.

Ms Erwin continued: “Our vet concluded the cats likely died a slow and unpleasant death due to a mixture of dehydration and starvation.

“When we informed Elliot of what had happened, he appeared completely disinterested in the conversation and unaffected by the news of his cats passing away.”

Elliot, who pled guilty to animal cruelty, had previously been convicted of the same offence when he turned up to a veterinary surgery with the corpse of an emaciated dog.

Upon inspection, the vet’s professional opinion was that Elliot had caused the dog unnecessary suffering and starved them to death. He was fined £200 and given a 12-month ban for this following a trial.

If anyone suspects an animal has been neglected or abandoned, they should can all the Scottish SPCA’s confidential animal helpline on 03000 999 999.