A repeated animal cruelty offender has dozens more cats and horses seized from a Victorian property. In a compliance check today, RSPCA Victoria inspectors removed 13 horses and 24 cats from a property in Ararat, western Victoria, after the court found the woman had abused animals for at least a decade. This marks the fourth breach of a court order prohibiting her from owning animals, with the RSPCA noting that more than 400 animals have been taken from her care over the last ten years. Several seized animals showed signs of illness and lived in poor conditions, according to RSPCA Victoria. The animals were relocated to an RSPCA shelter for assessment and veterinary care.
RSPCA Victoria’s chief inspector, Michelle Green, described the scale of cruelty as astonishing. She emphasized that the individual has been barred from owning or supervising more than five cats and five horses, yet continued to possess and acquire more animals while mistreating them. Green underlined that the organisation has pursued all available avenues to stop the offending behavior, including enforcing expert animal care guidance, applicable laws, and multiple court orders, but the offender has repeatedly ignored them. The RSPCA is now advocating for harsher penalties for animal cruelty.
RSPCA Victoria Chief Executive Dr. Liz Walker stated that although cruelty is a crime in Victoria, stronger laws and tougher punishments are necessary to deter offenders. The woman, aged 66 in July 2023, was found guilty on 54 counts of animal cruelty, including inadequate food and water, confining animals in ways likely to cause pain, and neglecting veterinary care. She was permanently banned from owning or supervising horses and ponies, though this prohibition was later reduced to a five-year ban following an appeal. She is also permanently disqualified from owning or supervising more than five cats. Previous guilty verdicts for similar offenses have been recorded in both Victoria and New South Wales.
If you are concerned about an animal’s welfare, you are urged to report it to RSPCA Victoria at rspcavic.org/cruelty-report/ or by calling 03 9224 2222.
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