Four newborns

Cats left behind in apartment for two months

The couple was brought before the police

(Bild: Constantin Handl, Krone KREATIV)

From the beginning of June to the end of July 2024, a senior couple were not in their apartment in Linz. However, the cats, including four newborns, were very much at home. A neighbor noticed the animal suffering and all the cats survived. The couple were sentenced on Monday at Linz Provincial Court. 

An extremely pungent smell of garbage and faeces had emanated from the apartment. Not only that: the kittens tried to force their way out of the open window, which a neighbor noticed. The fire department, police and two municipal employees then entered the apartment in Neue Heimat in Linz. They were met with a sad sight.

A bag of food saved the day
The apartment was completely littered, and due to a lack of fresh litter in the "Kistl", half the apartment had become a litter box. There was no water, only a torn-open food bag satisfied the animals' hunger for weeks. The couple had left six cats, four newborns and the two parents behind. After the woman (76) suffered a stroke at the beginning of June, the couple had gone away for a long time while the cats suffered in the hot and littered apartment without water.

I loved my Mimi and would never have left her alone for any length of time.

76-Jährige vor Gericht

Acquaintances never came
"I loved my Mimi, I would never have left her alone for any length of time," the 76-year-old claimed at the Linz Regional Court on Monday, saying that she had paid a distant acquaintance to feed the animals - but she never came. Similarly, the couple, who had already failed to appear at the first hearing, also had to appear at the second hearing on Monday. 

After two months, all six cats were rescued. The couple were each sentenced to five months' conditional imprisonment for cruelty to animals, not yet legally binding.