Tragedy of starved abandoned kitten who tried to claw open sachets of food
The cat’s owner abandoned the kitten at an Aberdare property, and has now been handed a suspended prison sentence and banned from keeping animals for 12 months.
An abandoned six-month-old kitten starved to death in an Aberdare property, after tragically being unable to claw into unopened sachets of food left at the house.
Ms Rhiannon Sian Davies (d.o.b 07/06/1987), of Llwynderi, Pen Y Waun, pleaded guilty to an Animal Welfare Act offence, after leaving the cat to die in an Aberdare house, with the neglect causing the feline "unimaginable, severe and totally unnecessary suffering."
She was given a 10-week custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months, and banned from keeping all animals for 12 months. Davies was also handed a £750 fine and a £115 victim surcharge. Sentencing took place at Merthyr Magistrates Court on Wednesday (14 June).
Ms Davies moved out of the property, leaving the six-month old kitten – named Mischa – alone in the house.
The body of the cat was found after Police broke into the Pleasant View Street property in January 2017. It was unclear exactly when the kitten was abandoned, or for how long she had been dead.
Veterinary reports confirmed that the cat died from dehydration or starvation, with the investigating RSPCA officer commenting on the "tragic find" of unopened sachets of cat food near the kitten's dead body, which she had attempted to claw open.
Gemma Cooper, RSPCA inspector, said:
"This is a deeply, deeply sad case, with poor Mischa abandoned to suffer unimaginable, severe and totally unnecessary suffering.
"I was utterly heartbroken at the tragic find of unopened sachets of cat food at the property. Mischa had tried, and been unable, to claw them open to help her survive.
"The property was such a sad sight. Cat faeces and urine were spread across the floor, and it's horrible to imagine how Mischa would have spent her final days before dying from dehydration or starvation.
"Owning a pet like Mischa is a privilege, and I cannot understand why anyone would deem it acceptable to simply abandon a defenceless animal in this way, with seemingly no thought for their welfare."
