The tortoise shell cat was abandoned so that its owner could move in with her boyfriend.
Caring neighbours and RSPCA staff saved the life of the animal by dropping food through the letterbox of the terraced home in Padiham, Lancashire, before it was eventually raided by police.
The house was strewn with empty beer and cider cans and other rubbish and poor Lucky was infested with fleas.
Hindle was later found to be staying with her boyfriend in Accrington.
At Burnley Magistrates Court, unemployed Hindle was banned from keeping animals for two years after she was convicted of animal cruelty charges. She was also conditionally discharged for 24 months ordered to pay £135 in costs.
She insisted that she had not moved out but admitted she "should have gone back more than she did".
Christopher Wyatt, prosecuting for the RSPCA , told the court the alarm was raised by a neighbour on March 16 who was not seen Hindle for several days and was concerned for the cat's welfare.
No lights had been switched on or off at night and the curtains were always closed.
An inspector went to the property that day, but got no reply.
The house had a To Let sign outside and mail addressed to Hindle was sticking out of the letter box.
He said: "She could see the cat through the front window. It appeared quiet. She posted a pouch of cat meat through the letter box."
The prosecutor said inspectors went back the next five days and tried to ring Hindle.
The cat was "more vocal" and again food was posted through the letter box.
On March 20, the letting agent let the inspector and a police officer in.
Mr Wyatt said: " The officer seized the cat and placed it in the care of the RSPCA. It was alert and active but a bit nervous and scared. No food or water were available for it."
The prosecutor said attempts were made to try and find the defendant and several visits were made to the property in March and April, but there was never a reply.
He said: "Surprisingly, Hindle phoned the RSPCA National Call Centre on June 1, asking if she could get the cat back. "
An inspector phoned her several times, got no reply, eventually managed to speak to her on July 4 and arranged to meet her on July 8.
The officer went to see Hindle, knocked repeatedly and called through the letter box, but got no answer.
She phoned Hindle, who said she would be 10 or 15 minutes, but still hadn't turned up after half an hour and didn't reply when the inspector rang again.
A final attempt to contact her on July 22 was unsuccessful.
In mitigation defence lawyer Scott Parker said Hindle - who claims to suffers from rheumatoid arthritis - had met a man and "she became very reckless".
Mr Parker added: "She should have gone back to the address more often than she did. Clearly the cat didn't suffer greatly as a result of what happened."
But RSPCA inspector Lyndsey Taylor said after the case: ''Lucky was saved from a very painful death. The neighbours knew that she was living with her boyfriend in Accrington but no-one knew exactly where she was.
"We had to make sure that the cat was going to be ok so I was putting food pouches through the letterbox. I could see that the cat was distressed and hungry but otherwise was in good condition.
"If she had been left like that without anything to eat or drink she would only have lived a few days. I don't know what Hindle thought was going to happen to her cat. She obviously didn't care.
"When we finally went in to the property there was lots of litter and empty cans but no food and drink at all. What she did was so heartless. She has never co-operated with the RSPCA.
"We were just lucky in this case because someone spotted what was happening.
''Hindle's behaviour was so irresponsible and unnecessary. Lucky must have gone through a lot of suffering. It was heartbreaking to see."
(Mirror UK - Jan 17, 2016)
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