A WOMAN left her cats locked inside her house for days without feeding them, a court heard.

Claire Misters, aged 30, was living at Ransom Avenue, off Bath Road, Worcester, when RSPCA inspectors found two cats suffering from malnutrition at her home. One later died.

Nicholas Sutton, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said Misters had continually lied to inspectors, telling them she had cancer, glandular fever and was suffering from stress, but had not been able to produce any evidence to the court showing these to be true.

When RSPCA inspector Mark Lewis visited the house he discovered one of two young ginger cats upstairs looking as if it were dead.

The cat was alive but needed urgent care from a vet. Both cats had flea burns and were in a poor state, and despite treatment one cat died during the night.

In mitigation, Mark Turnball said Misters had been suffering from stress and medical problems.

She had asked someone to help feed the cats but in an interview accepted she was responsible for them.

Misters admitted two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a cat, which included failing to feed it and abandoning her other cat without reasonable excuse.

She also admitted breaching a Bail Act offence after failing to turn up to a number of court dates.

Magistrates chairman Deidre Drake said Misters could expect to pay more than £1,000 in costs and would need a pre-sentence report. Misters, now of Sycamore Close, Gloucester, was given conditional bail, ordered to meet with the probation service and banned from owning any animal. She will re-appear at court on Thursday, May 22, for sentence.