Woman Avoids Jail for Confining Cats in Wheelie Bin

0:00On March 13, a 52-year-old woman from Epsom in Surrey has avoided prison after confining 23 cats in a wheelie bin without food or water. This happened between July 21 and 24 and 2024 as she moved to a new house nearby. She secured the lid with a heavy microwave, trapping the animals in darkness and heat. Housing staff discovered the bin, which wreaked of ammonia and a charity rushed the cats to vets. She had died from being crushed and smothered at the bottom, while the 15 survivors were dehydrated, underweight, and flea ridden. Price claimed she found the cats in nearby woods and said a charity told her to put them in the bin. She also mentioned her own mental and physical health struggles, plus caring for two daughters with similar issues. Investigators found no truth to her story about the charity advice. Instead, they had urged her to call the RSPCA, which she ignored. The cats had clearly suffered for days beforehand due to neglect.

1:01At Kingston Crown Court, she got a four-month jail term suspended for two years, plus ten days of rehab activities, a 10-year ban on owning cats or dogs, and had to pay 1,000 pounds in costs. The surviving cats now get care from the RSPCA and cats protection, spared further harm.