French couple sentenced for hoarding 159 cats in 861 sq ft flat, banned from keeping pets
- Dozens of dehydrated, malnourished animals were found in the couple’s flat
- Owner says her pets were the ‘loves of my life’, has no intention ‘giving up’
A French couple, who shared their flat with close to 160 cats and seven dogs, on Wednesday received a one-year suspended prison sentence and a permanent ban on keeping pets.
The Nice Criminal Court ruled that the man and woman “were guilty of the offence of abandonment, given the very poor state of health” of the animals.
It also ordered the couple to pay more than €150,000 (US$162,000) in damages to animal welfare associations.
The couple lived with a total of 159 cats and seven dogs in an 80-square-metre (861 sq ft) flat in Nice.
In 2023, police officers responding to a neighbourhood dispute found dozens of dehydrated, malnourished animals covered in parasites and lesions in every room of the couple’s home.
In a bathroom, investigators also found the bodies of at least two cats and two puppies.