A French couple that kept numerous animals in inhumane conditions received a one-year suspended sentence.

The Nice-based couple occupied an 80 square meter (861 square foot) apartment with 159 cats and seven dogs.

Last year, animals living in filth, many of them malnourished, dehydrated, or parasite-infected, were found. The couple had not given the animals the proper care, according to the judge.

The 68-year-old woman and the 52-year-old man were also given a permanent injunction against owning pets. They were ordered to pay civil parties and animal rights charities in excess of €150,000 (£128,000).

When police broke up a fight at the couple's apartment last year, they found that each room contained numerous animals. Animal waste was reported by the authorities everywhere.

Due to their poor health, some dogs and cats later passed away. In a washroom, investigators discovered the bodies of two dogs and at least two cats.

The apartment's owner testified in court that although the animals were "the love of her life," she had "screwed up."

It appears that in 2018, she moved in with her parents' three dogs and three cats before bringing about thirty cats from an abandoned building to her apartment. After that, these animals had procreated.

She claimed that she would have felt like a "abandoned person for abandoning [the animals]."

She had "Noah's syndrome," a psychological need to save animals even when one is unable to do so, according to a psychiatric evaluation. An 18-month prison sentence was what the prosecution had asked for.

In 2014, the couple was already under investigation for residing in an 18-square-meter studio with a dog and thirteen cats.