Raising 159 cats and 7 dogs in the apartment

A couple in the city of Nice were given a one-year suspended sentence and a permanent ban from keeping animals after being found to have 166 pets in their home.

The Nice court ruled on April 4 that the couple had "abandoned their pets, leaving them in a very bad condition." They were also ordered to pay more than 150,000 euros in compensation to animal protection associations.

"The 68-year-old wife and 52-year-old husband failed to take proper care of the animals," the judge said.

The couple had kept a total of 159 cats and 7 dogs in their 80 square meter apartment in Nice for a long time. In 2023, local police intervened in a dispute in the apartment and discovered a horrifying scene. Dozens of pets were kept in rooms in a state of dehydration, malnutrition, parasites and injuries.

In a bathroom, investigators found the bodies of at least two cats and two puppies.

166 cats and dogs kept by a couple in Nice city in an 80 square meter apartment were found in a state of exhaustion. Illustration photo: Shutterstock

Before the judge's verdict, the 68-year-old woman said she would appeal.

"They (pets) are the love of my life. That ruling is like a ban on women not being able to have more children," she said.

She also said that the deterioration of the apartment and the damage to the pets were only temporary. She herself was looking for a solution but was helpless because the cats were heavily infested with parasites. In addition, she and her husband were facing the possibility of being evicted due to unpaid rent of up to 8,000 euros.

Psychologists have diagnosed the owner of the pet herd with Noah syndrome (animal hoarding). People with this syndrome are characterized by the desire to keep more and more pets around but are unable to care for them.

In 2014, the couple was investigated for living with 13 cats and a dog in a 18-square-meter studio apartment. A few years later, she continued to raise 30 cats found in an abandoned building. These cats later reproduced and brought the current number to more than 150 individuals.

Minh Phuong (According to Independent, BBC )

Source: https://vnexpress.net/nuoi-159-con-meo-va-7-con-cho-trong-can-ho-4731391.html