STRANGE PETS

Evening Star, Issue 22031, 17 May 1935, Page 1

STRANGE PETS

“MNMEME" IN A mm OWNER FINED FM NE6UBT The Hon. Mrs Alice M'taren Mom. son, of Kemnal Warren, Chiselhurst, appeared at Bromley Police Court, in Kent, recently to answer two summonses relating to dogs, cats, monkeys,and birds kept by her at her house. The- first summons alleged that she kept 40 dogs without having licenses, and the second that unnecessary suffering was caused on 48 dogs, 27 cats, 17 monkeys, and 100 birds by unreason, ably omitting to provide them with proper and necessary care and attention. She was convicted on the second summons and ordered to pay a fine of £lO and £5 5s costs. " Mrs Morrison, an elderly woman, pleaded not guilty. Mr Gordon Jones, - prosecuting for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said that in substance the case was one of neglect, but it had certain peculiar features,Mrs Morrison was a v?ora|m of social position,' and, he, understood, of some substance. She lived inrta large house at Chiselhurst, and he wanted to say at -the outset that hw did not suggest she was a woman wpo had cruel' inducts or who would be_ unnecessarily cruel in the sense "of inflicting deliberate suffering on animals. ,\t the same time, he wanted to emphasise that she had only herself to blame for what had happened. She had the most extraordinary views 6n the treatment of animals, and held very fixed self-opinions on the subject, Shei would disregard advice from outside, and had deliberately flouted the attempts of the R.S.P.C.A. to advise her.

On February i inspectors of the society and others visited the house in consequence of a complaint made by an employee. Mrs Morrison was away at the time, and the inspectors did not ask her permission to go to the house.They went through various rooms, and found about 50 dogs, 27 cats, 100 birds, 17 monkeys, one goat, numerous guinea pigs and rabbits, and a few other animals. That was a surprising menagerie, said Mr Jones, to find in a private bouse, but there was nothing necessarily wrong in that. They found that the animals occupied , bedrooms and living rooms. - The inspectors found that the animals were in. a grossly neglected condition. Some of the dogs were as bald as billiard balls, and some had inflamed patches bn their bodies. The. condition of the cats did not appear to be so bad, though they, like the monkeys* appeared to be miserable. ’ The windows and doors of these rooms were closed, some of the windows being hermetically sealed. Electric and . coal fires were burning day and night, the atmosphere was almost unbreathahle, and it was really indescribable. He was not suggesting that there was any under-feeding; in fact, if it could be said at all, there was over-feeding, because he understood that some of the cats were provided with roast chicken .• Giving evidence. Mrs Morrison said she took Kemnal Warren for the sake of her animals, because' her residence in Bayswater was unsuitable. She had a butler, a manager, and a secretary, ,a kennel boy, a kennel man, and a kennel lady. She-agreed that some of the rooms were not as clean as they might have been, but she was not satisfied with the kennel staff she had at that time. She added that she was an original exhibitor. of Japanese spaniels m England. She had been a club judge, and was one of the founders of the Ladies’ Kennel Association. She was - also on the Grand Council of Our Dumb Friends’ League. . . . ; •Mr Gordon Jones (cross-examining) :l . What is your object in keeping bo , manv animals in your house? , ■ Mrs Morrison: Because of my love or « animals. Since I became a widow and had other bereavements animals wero the only things I lived for. I give my life to them. When I lived in Bayswater I used to take in all the stray* of the district. She added that tho cats were all show cats, and among them was the champion cat ot England, which won three first prizes m three days.