Two rabbits starved to death and were found lying in eight inches of their own excrement after being neglected by their owner, a court heard.
Margaret Shah told the RSPCA it was not her responsibility to care for the animals, which were reported to the charity by a concerned neighbour.
When an officer arrived to investigate, they discovered a “filthy” hutch full of excrement, with no evidence of any food or water.
A vet later estimated the animals hadn’t been fed for at least three weeks, Northampton Magistrates’ Court was told.
Shah, aged 37, of Westfield Road, Duston, Northampton admitted two charges of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal, and six charges of failing to meet the needs of an animal she was responsible for.
Robert Broughton, prosecuting, told the court an RSPCA inspector called at Shah’s home on February 20, following a complaint from a neighbour.
After looking over a neighbour’s fence to see the animals, the inspector gained access later that day when Shah was at home.
He said: “The hutch was absolutely filthy, with weeks of fecal build-up approximately eight inches deep.
“There was no food or water and the rabbits felt very underweight.”
The dead animals were taken to a vet, who said care had been “inadequate” for at least three weeks, Mr Broughton said.
“They had been suffering for at least three weeks before starving to death,” he added.
Andrew Gibson, mitigating, said Shah’s marriage had broken down, and her father-in-law and a close family friend had died, all within a short space of time.
He said: “There was a continuous build-up of stress.
“Others in the family may have lost interest in caring for the rabbits, but she accepts she didn’t go and check that they were doing what they were asked to do.
“This was not a case where she was deliberately cruel to the animals, but she was neglectful of her responsibilities.”
Shah, who has no previous convictions, will be sentenced later this month.