CONVICTED (2021) | kitten breeders Peter Rogers, born c. 1957, and wife Debbie Rogers, born c. 1961, of Field Cottages, Alkington, Whitchurch SY13 3NE – allowed their cat to become emaciated and suffer with ruptured eyes.

Persian cat Toffee was so poorly after months of neglect at the hands of the Rogers she had to be put down. The vet who examined Toffee said the case was one of the clearest cases of severe neglect that he had seen in the last decade.

The couple both pleaded guilty to two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.

RSPCA inspector Nayman Dunderdale visited the couple’s property on June 8, 2021, after the charity received a report about a matted silver tabby cat that was limping.

Peter Rogers told the inspector that Toffee, who was aged between four and five, had cancer and her eyes were missing. He said she needed to be put to sleep and it was his fault they had left it so long.

He said an appointment had been made at their vets for Toffee later that evening, but a check by the RSPCA inspector ten minutes later, revealed that while the practice had some of the couple’s other cats on their books, they did not have one registered under that name. Peter Rogers also told the inspector they were cat breeders.

In his statement, Mr Dunderdale said: “Mr Rogers brought the cat to me. Her eyes were closed and matted with green gunk and she looked very thin, with the bones of her hip spine and hind quarters easily visible.

“Mr Rogers asked me to take her, and said she needed to be put to sleep. I asked that Toffee be brought to my van so I could put her in a basket.”

Toffee was taken straight to a vet where she was examined and found to be emaciated, with a body condition score of just one out of nine. She weighed 1.1kg (2.4lbs) and should have been at least 2 to 2.5kg (between 4.4lbs and 5.5lbs).

Both her eyes had ruptured many days or even weeks before, indicated by the presence of thick dried discharge all over her eye sockets and cheeks, which were embedded with matted hair. The discharge was also present on both her forelimbs where she had rubbed herself in an effort to relieve the discomfort.

The vet who examined Toffee said: “She had a gentle nature despite the horrendous discomfort she was no doubt experiencing. Unfortunately, her welfare was so severely compromised, and with such a slim chance of returning her to an acceptable level of quality of life, that she was euthanised shortly after examination.

“Corneal pain is one of the most acute and severe pain an animal can experience as the cornea is incredibly sensitive to even the lightest trauma. Her owners plainly ignored obvious signs of severe pain and distress over a prolonged period of time. They also allowed her to become very underweight to the point of emaciation.”

He added: “I have been a practising small animal veterinary surgeon for over 15 years. I regularly see cats with sore eyes of varying severity in my daily work. I also work alongside a vet with an interest in veterinary ophthalmology and we communicate regularly about cases, so I am very familiar with corneal issues in cats. In the course of the last decade this is one of the clearest cases of severe neglect that I have seen.”

In mitigation, the court heard that there had been bereavement and illness in the family and Peter Rogers was having mental health difficulties and struggling to cope generally.

In total 15 animals which were owned by the couple have since been rehomed.

Speaking after sentencing, Mr Dunderdale said: “It was clear that Toffee had been suffering pain and distress for a long time and her owners should have done the right thing by her and sought treatment at the earliest opportunity. Her quality of life was so poor at the end that there was no other option but to end her suffering. We always urge people to seek help if they are struggling to look after their pets, rather than letting the situation deteriorate to the extent that it did with Toffee.”

Sentencing: 200 hours of unpaid work; total costs and charges of £345. Lifetime ban on keeping all animals.

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