13 Mar 2026
Fifteen others were found alive in the incident, over which a woman has now been given a suspended prison sentence.
Vet Times
Job Title
Rescued cats, such as this one, were cared for by the RSPCA and Cats Protection. Image: RSPCA
A woman who trapped 23 cats in a wheelie bin, eight of which subsequently died, has been given a suspended jail term.
Kingston Crown Court heard a vet concluded all of the animals would have suffered “immensely” during their ordeal at the hands of Sharon Claire Price.
Price, 52, of Epsom, Surrey, was sentenced to four months in prison, suspended for two years, and barred from keeping cats and dogs for 10 years during a hearing on 5 March.
She had earlier pleaded guilty to a charge of causing unnecessary suffering to protected animals and was further ordered to pay £1,000 in costs.
The cats were found in a bin, whose lid had been secured using a disused microwave, by local housing association staff in July 2024. They were then collected by Cats Protection workers before being taken to a nearby vet.
The court heard the cats that survived had been forced to stand or lay on the bodies of those below them.
They were also found to be severely dehydrated, underweight and covered with fleas when examined.
Although Price claimed another animal charity had advised her to put the cats into the bin when she was moving out of her property, investigations revealed she had not acted on their advice to contact the RSPCA.
In mitigation, the court heard she had both physical and mental health issues and helped with the care of her two daughters who also live with mental health issues.
But RSPCA inspector Liz Wheeler said the public would be “absolutely shocked” at her actions.
She added: “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.”