PARIS, France: A French couple who kept dozens of animals in cruel conditions were given a one-year suspended sentence.
The couple, from Nice, had 159 cats and seven dogs in their 80sqm apartment.
Last year, animals were found living in filth, many of them dehydrated, malnourished or infected with parasites.
The judge said the couple did not properly care for the animals.
The couple, a 68-year-old woman and a 52-year-old man, were also banned from keeping pets. They were ordered to pay more than €150,000 (£128,000) to animal rights groups and civil society groups.
Last year, police intervened in an argument at the couple’s apartment and found dozens of animals in each room. Officials reported animal waste everywhere.
Several cats and dogs subsequently became ill and died.
Investigators found the bodies of at least two cats and two dogs in the bathroom.
The flat owner told the court the animals were the love of his life but he had “failed”.
She apparently adopted three cats and three dogs from her parents in 2018 and then brought about 30 cats living in an abandoned building into her apartment. Then these animals were bred.
She said she must have felt abandoned by leaving (the animals) alone.
After a psychiatric evaluation, she was diagnosed with “Noah’s syndrome” – a psychological need to save animals, even when incapable of properly doing so.
Prosecutors demanded an 18-month prison sentence.
The couple were previously questioned in 2014 for living in an 18 square meter studio with 13 cats and a dog.
