RSPCA TARGET ANOTHER PENSIONER

Pensioner banned from keeping pets.
A pensioner has been banned from owning any animals for life after causing suffering to his cat by failing to provide adequate veterinary care for a problem with its mouth.

David Rathbone, aged 66, was prosecuted by the RSPCA after they found Titch with a lesion on her mouth which was causing her severe discomfort.
Northampton Magistrates' Court heard on Friday that a RSPCA officer had visited Rathbone's home on September 22 last year after they were alerted to the cat's condition by one of his neighbours.
Rod Stephenson, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said that, after seeing the state the cat was in, the officer had taken it away to Roade Vetinary Surgery where it was euthanized on humane grounds to prevent it from further suffering.
Mr Stephenson said; "It was the examining vet's professional opinion that the mass on the cat's mouth would have grown over a period of one to two months and possibly longer."
Mr Stephenson said that, in interview, Rathbone said he had not been able to get the cat to a vet due to his own problems with his stomach which caused him pain whenever he went out of the house.
Andy Hopkinson, defending, said Rathbone had looked after the cat for 10 years without any previous incident and had not deliberately tried to cause it any pain.
He said: "He did everything he could to alleviate the cat's pain in his limited fashion. He used a cloth with distilled water for the lesion and always made sure she had food where possible. He did so in the forlorn hope the lesion would go away."
Chairman of the bench Derek Loud, sentencing, said: "We believe you should have tried harder to get some advice and treatment for her. Animals don't deserve to come to an end like this."
Rathbone was given an indefinite ban from owning or being involved in the keeping of animals, fined £150, ordered to pay costs of £200 and victim surcharge of £15
http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/Pensioner-banned-from-keeping-pets.6187161.jp