‘Landlord dumped all 10 of my cats outside’ says Stamford Hill woman
The cats rescued by Celia Hammond - Credit: Archant
A woman ordered to get rid of her 10 cats by her landlord claims she came home to find someone had entered her room, dumped them all out the window and bolted it shut.
Theresa Rhodes and the window that was screwed shut - Credit: Archant
One of the poor animals was found dead just hours later.
Theresa Rhodes, 24, says she was given three days to remove the pets from her Stamford Hill home, but on Monday last week she discovered them on the level roof outside her bedroom window.
She claims her bed and carpets had also been thrown out, while the wires on her electrical appliances had been cut.
A “hysterical” Ms Rhodes turned to east London’s Celia Hammond Animal Trust for help, and Ms Hammond arrived to rescue the cats.
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Ms Hammond took the youngest cats – which she says were in a “terrible state” – to her shelter and Theresa, a care worker, spent the next day seeking help from the Citizens Advice Bureau.
But when she returned home, she found the cats outside again – and one of them, Miracle, was dead, despite having been healthy the night before.
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“I was hysterical,” said Ms Rhodes, now staying with family. “When I saw Miracle I was desperately trying to break the window but I couldn’t.
“I’ve been violated and treated like a piece of rubbish.”
Ms Rhodes was not allowed to keep pets under her tenancy agreement, she admits, and said her landlord had ordered her to get rid of them.
She had not planned to keep 10 cats, but “fell in love” with two successive litters, she added.
Police were called but said no crime had been committed. Ms Hammond again returned to the flat.
“We are now in the process of removing all Theresa’s remaining cats,” she said. “This has further upset her as these cats are her only companions. The landlord is within his rights to enforce his ‘no pets’ rule, but he cannot put the lives of her cats at risk.”
The landlord told the Gazette planned renovation work was being carried out and the carpets and bed were set to be replaced. He said the cats were let outside while the room was fumigated and the locks were a temporary measure.
