Scots man found with 65 cats riddled with herpes after he let 'breed uncontrollably'

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A man has been banned from owning animals for ten years after being found with 65 neglected cats at his home. Ian Samuel McCord, 68, pleaded guilty at Livingston Sheriff Court to failing to provide a suitable environment for his 65 cats.The court heard how he had allowed the animals to 'breed uncontrollably' and that it took rescuers four trips to remove the huge number of felines.All the cats were in poor health, with each suffering from feline herpes, a common and infectious respiratory disease.Several of them were also suffering from a range of other illnesses and afflictions.McCord of West Calder, West Lothian, was given a 12-month community supervision order alongside his ban, aside from four cats he was allowed to keep.The Scottish SPCA had been aware of McCord since 2020, when a local rescue charity offered him help to provide neutering and veterinary treatment for his 65 cats.The charity was able to treat a large number of the animals, but McCord began to stop engaging with their support.By October 2021, SPCA concerns had increased and they were granted access to the property.Fiona Thorburn, Scottish SPCA inspector, said: "We have spent considerable time and effort attempting to help him with the large number of cats he had at the premises."Unfortunately, our requests for access to the property have always been refused," said"In August 2020 a local rescue organisation very kindly said they would trap cats for neutering, provide flea and worm treatment, vaccinations and remove cats as needed to be examined by a vet."Unfortunately, after they had uplifted a large number of cats McCord failed to engage any further with them."We continued to try to offer assistance to McCord throughout the remainder of 2020 and into