As of: April 9, 2024, 7:35 a.m
By: Karolin Schaefer
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For many people, pets are like family members. However, a couple from France have been hoarding large numbers of animals at home - but at what cost?
Nice – They are cuddly, but have their own mind: cats are among the most popular pets. Although owners don't have to take their velvet paws for a walk, they still require a lot of time and care, just like other animals. A couple from France probably took this too lightly. The police make a worrying discovery.
Worrying discovery: Couple keeps almost 160 cats and seven dogs in their apartment
The couple lived in an apartment in Nice on the French Riviera. The 68-year-old woman and her 52-year-old partner devoted their free time primarily to their pets. 159 cats and seven dogs lived with the couple in just 80 square meters - to the chagrin of the furry four-legged friends.
A couple from France kept almost 160 cats and seven dogs in one apartment. The man and woman have now been convicted. (Symbolic image) © Yegor Aleyev/imago
The police had already been called to a neighborhood dispute in 2023 and made an astonishing discovery. At that time, the emergency services found dozens of malnourished animals covered in parasites and wounds. But that's not all: investigators discovered the carcasses of at least two cats and two puppies in a bathroom. Recently, almost 100 animals had to be rescued from a residential building in Hesse.
Shortly thereafter, the case went to court. Now there has been a conviction: the couple was sentenced to one year in prison on probation. In addition, he is now permanently prohibited from keeping pets. Given the “severely impaired health” of the animals, the court found the man and woman guilty. They also have to pay more than 150,000 euros in compensation to animal protection associations, including for the care of the animals found on their premises.
“I slipped”: Police discover dozens of animals in the apartment
“They were the loves of my life, but I slipped,” the 68-year-old admitted at the hearing. Both the apartment and the animals were only temporarily in poor condition. You looked for solutions in vain. The woman said the cats suffered from an infection and the heat wave itself had made them sick.
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But the 68-year-old apparently doesn’t want to “give up,” she emphasized after the conviction. “Who wouldn’t appeal such an injustice? It’s like telling a woman she won’t have any more children,” she said.
The “Noah syndrome” was finally diagnosed in a psychological report. This is a variant of the so-called Diogenes syndrome, says a post by the medical publisher
Psychiatrist
.
com.
Those affected would hoard animals in a pathological manner. The reasons for mental illness can include loneliness and stress.
Horrifying discovery in the apartment: The first investigation took place in 2014
When it comes to collecting animals, there is a desire to keep more animals than usual, so that they can no longer be adequately cared for, informs the German Animal Welfare Association. Cats are particularly often affected by this. In 2022, the Animal Welfare Association recorded 78 cases involving more than 4,500 animals. The city of Kassel also regularly receives reports of catastrophic animal husbandry.
There was already an investigation into the couple in 2014, when they lived in an 18 square meter apartment with 13 cats and a dog. Years later, the woman took in 30 more cats. She found this in an abandoned building. The animals then reproduced uncontrollably. The couple will probably no longer stay in their current apartment in Nice. Both are threatened with eviction proceedings because of rent arrears amounting to 8,000 euros. (
kas/afp)