A 36-year-old man has been given a 10-year ban on owning animals after he was found guilty of animal cruelty for the second time.

The Scottish SPCA has deemed his offences worthy of "lifetime ban"  as three animals have now died in his care. 

Two female cats in the care of Ross Elliot were found dead at a Glasgow address under "completely avoidable" circumstances.

The cats, named Cheeky and Chilli, weighed less than half the minimum expected weight of a healthy animal and vets have concluded they experienced "a slow and unpleasant death". 

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Elliot pled guity and admitted to causing unnecessary suffering to the animals. 

Previously, Elliot had been convicted of the same offence when he came to a veterinary surgery with a dead dog. 

It was deemed he had caused the dog unnecessary suffering and starved it to death. 

At the time he was fined £200 and given a 12-month ban for this following a trial.

Scottish SPCA inspector Stacey Erwin said: “Three animals have now died in Ross Elliot’s care through circumstances which would have been completely avoidable if he had met their most basic needs of food and water.

“We believe he should have been given a lifetime ban as a minimum as it is clear he is not fit to own or care for animals and the previous short term ban he received clearly did not act as a deterrent."

The Scottish SPCA monitored his previous address in Mountainblue Street in Barrowfield and had tried to help the cats by placing food through the letterbox. 

It later emerged the animals were locked away and could not access the food. 

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The inspector added: “We monitored the flat for several days while trying to gain entry and gathered evidence, through a number of means, that no one was attending to the cats despite Elliot claiming his friend was caring for them.

“We placed cat food through the letterbox in an attempt to ensure the cats had a food source.

“Unfortunately, on gaining entry to the property on March 12, 2019 we discovered the cats had been locked away, meaning they could not reach the cat food we had been leaving for them.

“At the bottom of the stairs were many full bin bags and a large pile of unopened mail. Christmas decorations were still present in the living room."

Upon entering the flat, investigators discovered there was no supply of fresh water and the only available source of water was a mop bucket full of "extremely dirty" and "stagnant" water. 

There was also only one litter box which was heavily soiled and only empty boxes of cat food were available in the flat. 

The investigator said: “When we gained entry to the property we were heartbroken to find both cats were deceased.

"Their bodies were emaciated and infested with fleas and maggots. Both cats weighed around 1.4kg, less than half the minimum you’d expect a healthy cat to weigh.

“Our vet concluded the cats likely died a slow and unpleasant death due to a mixture of dehydration and starvation.

The 36-year-old man is said to have appeared "unaffected" by the news of the deaths of Chilli and Cheeky. 

Inspector Stacey Erwin said: “When we informed Elliot of what had happened, he appeared completely disinterested in the conversation and unaffected by the news of his cats passing away.

"If anyone suspects an animal has been neglected or abandoned, they should call our confidential animal helpline on 03000 999 999."