A Newport couple have been banned from keeping animals for life after 114 guinea pigs and 31 cats were found living among faeces, flies and hazards at their home.
Helen Elizabeth Weston, of Duffryn, and Michael Bernard Weston, of the same address, pleaded guilty to five offences under the Animal Welfare Act.
They were sentenced at Newport Magistrates’ Court on August 12. Both received 12-week prison sentences, suspended for 12 months, and were ordered to pay £200 in costs and a £154 victim surcharge.
They were also disqualified from keeping all animals for life and will not be able to appeal the ban for 10 years.
The RSPCA attended the property with vets and Gwent Police in May 2025 after concerns were raised about a number of cats.
The charity had previously dealt with animal welfare concerns at the address and had offered help with rehoming and neutering, but this was not accepted and inspectors were not given access to the property.
In a witness statement presented during the court proceedings, RSPCA Chief Inspector Emma Smith said: “As we entered the hallway there was an extremely overwhelming smell of ammonia which continued right throughout the property.
“The property was extremely cluttered with household items strewn everywhere and there was dust, cobwebs, dirt, grime, live and dead flies all in abundance throughout the property.”
Inspectors found 31 cats across several rooms, while 114 guinea pigs were discovered in the living room.
It took a vet, a veterinary nurse and several RSPCA officers hours to locate and confine the guinea pigs. Many were running loose, while others were kept in cat baskets or small indoor enclosures, some of which had been stacked on top of one another.
One dead guinea pig was also found inside the property.
Chief Inspector Smith said: “This room contained an uncountable amount of guinea pigs and was nothing like I had ever seen before.
“There were in excess of 100 guinea pigs, multiple running loose and others confined to cat baskets or small indoor guinea pig enclosures, multiple of which were stacked on top of each other or had fallen to an angle.
“The environment was the worst I have seen, with ground down faeces so thick and hard that it had produced a ‘mud carpet’ throughout the living room.
“The legs and bottoms of all of the furniture within the room had rotted and there were large gaping holes within the sofas which multiple guinea pigs were running in and out of, amongst springs and rotten wood.
“There was a small amount of dirty water in a bowl in the middle of the floor but all of the drinking bottles that I saw attached to cages that had guinea pigs confined were all empty.
“Whilst I was standing in the room I observed multiple guinea pigs trying to access water out of these empty bottles.”
The court heard that the couple initially had a small number of guinea pigs, but the animals bred and the situation became unmanageable. In mitigation, it was said that Mr Weston had health conditions and Mrs Weston had become his carer.
The 114 guinea pigs and 31 cats were taken into possession by police and placed in the care of the RSPCA.
Five guinea pigs were later put to sleep on welfare grounds and one died. Six cats were also put to sleep because of continuing health problems, while Mogs, the cat at the centre of the initial concerns, was put to sleep following veterinary advice.
After receiving treatment and care, the remaining animals were taken to RSPCA centres and private boarding facilities. They have since been rehomed.
Following sentencing, Chief Inspector Smith said: “All animals deserve to be treated with kindness and should have their needs met. Owners are responsible for their pets’ needs and must seek help if things get out of hand. Neutering is so important and there are so many benefits, not to mention preventing unwanted offspring.
“Unfortunately we are seeing more multi-animal cases in general and we urge anyone who is struggling to seek help. I’d like to thank everyone who was involved in this case, from those involved in the initial rescue to the vets, and branches and centres who took on the animals.
“These animals have now been happily rehomed.”
