A Maidstone man allowed a large and painful tumour to grow on his cat’s face for at least five weeks before she had to be put to sleep, a court has heard.

James Smith, of West Street, Harrietsham, admitted he failed in his duty as a responsible pet owner by not treating tortoiseshell-haired Bo when a mass appeared on her bottom lip in June.

John Roberts, who defended the 57-year-old at the town’s magistrates’ court today said his client did not take the animal to a vet because he was struggling financially.

WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGE BELOW

Smith, a general handyman who lives alone, had told officers from the RSPCA he felt Bo “was content” and would have sought help if he had thought she was in pain.

Mr Roberts said Smith had put £100 aside for potential vet bills and added he was unaware he could seek help from organisations such as the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA).

Victoria Toy, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, said the malignant tumour, which had become infected, prevented the cat from eating and grooming, resulting in a flea infestation, matted fur and weight loss.

The deformed lump had eaten into the cat's jaw and was covered in ulcers and pus.

Mrs Toy said: “(It was) a slow-growing tumour and the cat would have been suffering for a number of weeks.”

Animal welfare inspectors visited the house in July after taking a call from a concerned member of the public.

Bo, who was just over 14 years old, was taken to a vet and it was then decided she should be euthanised.

One of the magistrates refused to look at the photos of the tumour when the evidence was presented in court.

Chairman Susan Burrin said: “I’m sure you can appreciate (that) having seen the photos of your cat, we are shocked.”

She added: “Those photos are horrific, absolutely horrific.”

Smith was fined £400 and was ordered to pay £200 in costs, as well as a £40 victim surcharge.

RSPCA Inspector Vikki Dawe said: “I was so shocked at the sight of Bo - she was grossly deformed.

“She had a great oozing tumour on her face - it was just enormous - which had begun to eat into and disintegrate her jaw.

“She had a great oozing tumour on her face - it was just enormous - which had begun to eat into and disintegrate her jaw" - Susan Burrin

“The effects were so extreme that she was underweight and appeared to be struggling to eat properly. She had clearly tried to groom herself and not managed, and her body was covered in pus.

“It would have be obvious to anyone even at a glance that something was majorly wrong here - and that poor Bo was in great discomfort and pain. How anyone could just ignore this and let her carry on suffering in silence is just beyond me.”

The charity asked for him to be disqualified from owning animals but the bench allowed him to keep his two other cats, who are from the same litter as Bo, after considering their old age.