Essex woman sentenced after cat left to be 'eaten alive' by maggots
The cat had to be put to sleep
An Essex woman has been sentenced after leaving her cat to be 'eaten alive' by maggots.
A warning that this article contains graphic details you may find upsetting.
The cat, called Sonny, was taken to a local vet with what the RSPCA has described as a "huge open wound with maggots of varying sizes eating away at his skin and muscle tissue".
Karen Howel of Ockelford Avenue in Chelmsford, pleaded guilty to one count of causing unnecessary suffering to Sonny, under section 4 of the Animal Welfare Act.
She was sentenced on Tuesday (26 January) to 120 hours community service, reduced to 80 hours for her guilty plea, and a reduced fee of £200 for the RSPCA, £100 veterinary fees and a further £95 court surcharge at North Essex Magistrates Court.
Howel took Sonny to a local vets on 10 September, 2020.
The on duty veterinary surgeon had to put him to sleep immediately because of the severity of the flystrike and the level of distress for the cat.
The vets called the RSPCA and inspector Chloe Frost visited to see pictures they had taken of Sonny.
The RSPCA said she was shown a video of the maggot infestation in the wound and was told of the smell it emitted which was "very distressing".
Howel had initially claimed Sonny had been fine that morning.
Following the sentencing hearing, Insp Frost said:
"It was clear this poor cat was in extreme distress, the level of tissue damage in the wound suggested that Sonny had been left like this for a long time.
"Flystrike can come on quickly, but Sonny must have been in pain for at least three days, which is heartbreaking as this could have been easily solved if it had been dealt with in good time.
"We would always urge people to contact their local vet if their animal is unwell, under the Animal Welfare Act we do have a duty to care for animals we are responsible for.
"There is help out there for people struggling."