Auckland woman banned from owning animals until 2044

Tatyana Kondratyeva will not be permitted to own animals before 2044. The Court of Appeal upheld an 18-year disqualification order imposed during her most recent sentencing.

Kondratyeva was first banned from keeping animals in 2014 after inspectors found dozens of cats in a single-bedroom Auckland unit. The cats were ill and the unit had a strong smell. She was given a ten-year ban but broke that order in 2021. At that time, she possessed a cat named Boy, a female cat named Sweetie, and three kittens. She used a false name at veterinary clinics to hide her identity.

A Court of Appeal judgment states that Kondratyeva ignored veterinary advice. The vets recommended admitting one kitten to 24-hour care and euthanizing Boy, who was emaciated. The court noted that Boy and the kitten suffered what the vet considered slow and distressing deaths.

SPCA inspectors searched the property on November 24, 2021, under a warrant. They found between 200 and 300 hens, roosters, and chicks, along with several cats. Six hens and their chicks were in cages too small for them to stand or stretch their wings. Two of the hens had no water. The house was hot, smelled of urine, and had faeces on the floor. Two roosters were in a bathroom with more than 2 centimeters of faeces accumulated.

Inspectors also found two kittens in a bag with no food or water. They showed symptoms of a viral respiratory illness. A pet carrier held two hens, a chick, and a rooster. The rooster was later put down after a vet said it had suffered severe and long-term pain and distress. A magpie in a small cage was in poor condition with injuries from long-term confinement. A vet described its suffering as an extended period of extreme distress.

Kondratyeva was charged with contravening the disqualification order and ill-treating animals. Both charges were representative, covering multiple instances of the same offense. She chose a jury trial but pleaded guilty on the day it was scheduled to start. A judge later called this move a calculated campaign to delay sentencing.

Kondratyeva received a 21-month prison sentence this year, which was commuted to home detention. She appealed, arguing for intensive supervision and community detention. The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal. A psychiatric report found no history of mental illness but noted unresolved grief related to a medical condition and her father's death in Russia. The psychiatrist suggested she tried to cope with these losses by saving injured animals despite lacking the means to do so.