Teenagers admit cruelty to kitten

11.01.13

Two girls, aged 15 and 16 respectively, admitted causing unnecessary suffering to a kitten at Maidstone Youth Court on Monday, 7 January.

 

The teenagers from the Isle of Sheppey were sentenced to a nine month referral order, disqualified from keeping all animals for a year and ordered to pay £85 each in costs.

 

Girls filmed themselves throwing cat around bedroom

The girls filmed themselves on a mobile phone in August 2012 as they took it in turns to thrown a female tortoiseshell kitten around in one of their bedrooms.

 

The phone footage was subsequently posted on Facebook and a member of the public reported it to the police who interviewed the girls involved and we were then asked to investigate.

 

The shocking footage can be viewed on our YouTube channel.

 

The kitten is shown hitting the ceiling and appearing to be knocked unconscious. Even after this, the kitten is shown to be thrown violently a further two times.

 

Kitten was lucky to survive her ordeal

A vet who examined the kitten said that, given the length and severity of the attack, the kitten would have suffered fear and distress and it was miraculous that she had not suffered severe physical injuries.

 

RSPCA Chief Inspector Steve Dockery said:

This was shocking footage of young girls violently throwing an eight-week-old kitten around. The girls’ commentary on the video shows that they found their actions to be hilariously funny which is worrying.

The abuse of a young animal purely for entertainment cannot be tolerated and posting it on a social networking site sends out a message that animal cruelty is acceptable.

 

The kitten was lucky to survive her ordeal and has since been rehomed with a new and loving family.

The 16-year-old girl who filmed the attack pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to appear for trial later in the year.

 

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