CONVICTED (2024) | kitten greeder Meren Wainhouse, born 5 December 1997, of – Greaves Street, Little Horton, Bradford BD5 7PE – kept cats, a dog and a blind rabbit in inhumane conditions in her filthy one-bed flat.
Seventeen live animals – 15 cats, one dog, and a rabbit – were found inside Wainhouse’s home on August 23, 2023, which was covered in animal faeces and knee-deep in litter and rubbish.
Megan King, for the prosecution, said officers were initially called to a public order incident in a Bradford street on August 23, 2023, and found Wainhouse and a male outside the address when they arrived.
Neighbours told officers they were concerned for the welfare of animals inside the small flat and claimed there were 15 cats, a rabbit, and a dog living there.
Wainhouse refused to let police into the property and the male brought a cat out to show the officers.
This gave them a glimpse inside the flat and an officer said there was “a large amount of faeces on the floor” and the “smell coming from inside the flat was foul”.
The court heard the cat also looked skinny and malnourished.
Police arrested Wainhouse so they could enter the property and went into the flat which was on the second floor, with one bedroom, a bathroom, and kitchen.
The entire floor was covered in either rubbish or faeces, the court heard.
The officer said it was the worst he had seen in six years with the force and there was “no obvious water down for the animals or food”.
He described the flat as “horrendous” and said it “was not suitable for animals or people”.
Ms King said: “It was clear she was not looking after the animals”.
The RSPCA became involved and found a rabbit living on top of a bag of rubbish.
There was a cat with four kittens that were around six weeks old, as well as four other cats, and a dog in the living room.
A further three cats were discovered when a mattress in the flat was flipped over.
Ms King said: “A kitten was found deceased in a shoebox.”
In total, 15 cats, a dog, and a rabbit were seized from the address by the RSPCA.
The court heard a vet examined the animals and the dog had a number of issues, including fleas, hair loss and overgrown nails, while the cats were all malnourished and the kittens underweight. One female cat was so underweight her bones were prominent.
A rabbit, who was blind due to a painful eye condition, had to be put down.
In interview, Wainhouse admitted owning all the animals, which she said she planned to re-home.
She said they were fed twice daily, were registered with a vet, and denied intentionally breeding any of the cats but acknowledged a kitten had died and she had not had time to bury it.
She admitted that the animals’ living conditions were not acceptable but said that she had struggled with her mental health for several months and consequently had no motivation to seek help and felt did not know where to begin.
Wainhouse later pleaded guilty to 20 separate offences: three counts of causing unnecessary suffering to protected animals and 17 counts of failing to ensure animal welfare was met.
In mitigation the court heard that Wainhouse had deteriorating mental health and had been diagnosed as suffering from ADHD. She was living in sheltered accommodation after finding herself in a difficult personal relationship that had since come to an end. Her partner had been sentenced to five years in prison for offences against her.
She had suffered a miscarriage 18 weeks into a pregnancy.
The defence also claimed that “the people who alerted police that day posted videos on social media and she has been harassed and bullied.”
His Honour Judge Ahmed Nadim told Wainhouse: “At the time you committed these offences you were negotiating challenging circumstances in your personal life.
“You were involved in a relationship with a man who habitually abused you. You suffered from uncertain mental health and ADHD, which further compromised your ability to properly look after yourself and the animals that you were caring for.
“What you did can only be excused by your personal difficulties [although] you subjected innocent animals to pain [and] suffering that ordinarily would be described as inhuman and inexcusable.”
He said he had been persuaded not to send her to prison as a jail sentence would not help to provide the support she needed “to lead life as a socially responsible member of our society” and potentially damage her rehabilitation.
Sentencing | two-year community order with 35 rehabilitation activity requirement days. Disqualified from keeping any animals for ten years (expires June 2034).
Additional Information
In the course of her prosecution Wainhouse denied breeding kittens, but multiple posts on local Facebook groups suggest otherwise. Several people claim they were scammed after responding to adverts she had placed on Gumtree selling kittens. A report was made to Action Fraud but the outcome is unknown.
Not quite the victim she makes out. She will never change, incapable of taking care of anything that depends on her.