A FORMER company director has been banned from having pets indefinitely after her neglect killed one of her cats and caused two more to suffer for weeks.

Phil Brown, prosecuting, said Jennifer Elizabeth Middleton's male cat called Fudge was so undernourished, flea-ridden, anaemic and dehydrated that despite intensive and specialist vet treatment, it died two days after the RSPCA took it from her home.

Her other two cats, Half Pint and Bronte, both female, were also underfed and suffering.

For Middleton, James McGowan said: "To be aware her omission has led to the death of one and the suffering of other cats has been a heavy burden to her."

She was a cat lover and had been a successful career woman until her boyfriend's bankruptcy, reduced wages from one business and redundancy from another led to debt, depression and mental health problems.

Middleton, 47, formerly of Haig Street, Selby, pleaded guilty to four charges of animal neglect.

At the suggestion of the RSPCA, York magistrates restricted her punishment to an order banning her from owning animals indefinitely. They also ordered her to pay £350 of the charity's costs.

Mr Brown said the charity asked for leniency because of Middleton's personal circumstances.

Magistrates read a medical report before passing sentence.

He said police broke into Middleton's home on August 12 because they and the RSPCA were concerned for her welfare.

A member of the public had alerted the RSPCA to the state of the cats at the house, which appeared to be uninhabited with an very overgrown garden.

Inside were the cats but no sign of Middleton. The building stank of cat urine and there was extensive cat faeces on the floor and in cat litter boxes.

She told the RSPCA she had moved to her mother's but visited the house to feed the cats and her personal circumstances had got so much she hadn't been able to keep up with cleaning her house.