Sharon Claire Price, 52, from Epsom, was banned from keeping cats or dogs for 10 years after vets found eight cats had been crushed and suffocated at the bottom of the bin
A woman crammed 23 cats into a wheelie bin and abandoned 15 of them to stand atop the corpses of eight that had perished, crushed beneath the weight of those above and drenched in animal waste.
Sharon Claire Price, 52, of West Street, Epsom, stuffed the felines inside the container and secured the lid with an old microwave, leaving them packed together without any food or water.
She has now been barred from owning cats or dogs for 10 years. Veterinarians confirmed that cats at the bottom of the heap were “slowly crushed and suffocated”, with their remains saturated by urine trickling down from cats positioned higher up.
At Kingston Crown Court during sentencing, she received a four-month jail term suspended for two years, was instructed to complete 10 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days and prohibited from keeping cats and dogs for a decade, reports the Mirror. She was additionally ordered to pay £1,000 costs following an investigation and prosecution by the RSPCA.
The cats were found by local housing association workers, and were retrieved by Cats Protection charity volunteers and transported to a veterinarian. Eight had perished and the surviving 15 were positioned on their carcasses, severely parched, malnourished, and infested with fleas.
Within the bin they had endured total darkness, with sweltering temperatures inside the container, and there was an overpowering stench of ammonia. A veterinarian stated: “All of the 23 cats suffered immensely.
“The deceased cats at the bottom of the pile were slowly crushed and suffocated by the weight pressing down on them, and suffered the worst from the effects of the urine of the cats dripping down to the bottom of the bin, soaking their skin and burning their airways. Those trapped underneath were unable to move, and the ones higher were tangled in a metal grid with no way to escape.
“They had no option but to stand or lay on the dead bodies of other cats below them. They all would have experienced extreme fear and physical pain without any way of being able to achieve even temporary relief from their conditions.”
Price insisted she had discovered the cats in nearby woodland and claimed she had been told by another animal charity to put them in a bin and fasten the lid, whilst she was relocating from a property on Whitmores Close, Epsom between 21 and 24 July 2024. But an RSPCA probe revealed that workers had actually told her to contact the RSPCA directly – something she had neglected to do.
The 15 cats that survived were taken into the care of the RSPCA and Cats Protection. The court heard the defendant struggled with mental and physical health problems and that she helps look after two daughters with mental health difficulties.
RSPCA Inspector Liz Wheeler, who spearheaded the investigation, said: “People will be absolutely shocked to think of what these poor 23 cats went through trapped in this wheelie bin. Price claimed she had found the cats in woodland the previous day and had been advised to place them in a bin.
“Our enquiries did not support that account. It was clear the cats had been suffering for some time due to their poor body condition and heavy flea infestations.
“Placing them in a bin on a hot day and trapping them inside caused significant and unnecessary suffering.”
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