A cruel woman trapped 23 cats by crushing them in a wheelie bin.
Sharon Claire Price placed the cats inside the bin and secured the lid with a disused microwave, leaving them terrified and crushed together, with no food or water.
Vets said cats at the bottom of the pile were slowly crushed and suffocated and their bodies were left soaked by urine dripping down from cats higher up.
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The helpless animals were discovered by housing association staff and were collected by charity workers and taken to a vet.
Eight had died and the remaining 15 were standing on their bodies, severely dehydrated, underweight, and covered in fleas.
Inside, they had been in complete darkness, with high temperatures in the bin, and there was a strong smell of ammonia, as reported by NeedToKnow.
Price, 52, of West Street, Epsom, Surrey, claimed she had found the cats in nearby woodland and said she had been advised by another animal charity to place them in a bin and secure the lid when she was moving out of another property.
But an investigation found staff had advised her to contact the RSPCA directly, which she had failed to do.
The 15 surviving cats were placed in the care of the RSPCA and Cats Protection.
RSPCA inspector Liz Wheeler, who led the investigation, said: “People will be absolutely shocked to think of what these poor 23 cats went through trapped in this wheelie bin.
“Price claimed she had found the cats in woodland the previous day and had been advised to place them in a bin. Our enquiries did not support that account.
“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.”
During sentencing at Kingston Crown Court, Price was given a four-month prison sentence suspended for two years, ordered to complete 10 rehabilitation activity requirement days and banned from keeping cats and dogs for 10 years.
She was also ordered to pay £1,000 in costs.
A vet told the hearing: “All of the 23 cats suffered immensely.
“The deceased cats at the bottom of the pile were slowly crushed and suffocated by the weight pressing down on them, and suffered the worst from the effects of the urine of the cats dripping down to the bottom of the bin, soaking their skin and burning their airways.
“Those trapped underneath were unable to move and the ones higher were tangled in a metal grid with no way to escape.
“They had no option but to stand or lie on the dead bodies of other cats below them.
“They all would have experienced extreme fear and physical pain without any way of being able to achieve even temporary relief from their conditions.”
In mitigation, the court was told the defendant had mental and physical health issues and that she helps care for two daughters with mental health issues.
