A couple from France have been given a one-year suspended prison sentence for keeping more than 160 animals in cruel conditions.
They kept 159 cats and seven dogs in an 80 square meter apartment in Nice.
Last year, it was discovered that the animals were living in filth, and many of them were dehydrated, malnourished or infected with parasites.
The judge said the couple did not take care of the animals.
A woman (68) and a man (52) were also issued a permanent ban on keeping pets.
They were ordered to pay more than €150.000 to animal rights charities.
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Last year, the police intervened due to an argument between the couple and discovered dozens of animals in every room in the apartment.
Authorities reported that there was animal excrement everywhere.
Some cats and dogs later died due to poor health.
Investigators found the bodies of at least two cats and two dogs in the bathroom.
The owner of the apartment told the court that the animals were "the love of her life", but that she "made a mistake".
She reportedly adopted three cats and three dogs from her parents in 2018, before bringing in about 30 cats that lived in a nearby abandoned building.
The animals soon began to multiply.
She said that she would have felt "abandoned" if she had "abandoned the animals" herself.
During the psychiatric evaluation, she was diagnosed with Noah's syndrome, that is, the psychological need to save animals, even when we are unable to properly care for them.
Prosecutors asked for a sentence of 18 months in prison.
The couple was already under investigation in 2014 for living in an 18 square meter studio apartment with 13 cats and a dog.
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