Latest news with #petabuse
The Sun
4 days ago
- The Sun
Our family cat was swung in a noose and smashed into a wall by a sick thug – How could someone be so cruel?
A FAMILY whose pet cat was tortured for fun by a sick thug have told of their horror at his ordeal. Tabby Marshall was swung around in a noose and repeatedly smashed into a wall. 6 6 6 The ginger moggie returned home hours later gasping for breath and with rope still around his throat. Marshall was taken to a vet and given pain killers for bruising and swelling, but X-rays amazingly found no broken bones. Owner Sarah Keeling, 38, has told The Sun of her shock when she was shown doorbell camera footage of her pet's 6am trauma last week. Hospital worker Sarah, who is eight months pregnant, said: 'I don't know what goes through someone's head to do such a cruel thing to a little animal. "Marshall would have just gone out at that time. He would have gone up to that man expecting to be pampered because he's really friendly and loves the attention. 'Instead, he got rope wrapped around his neck and swung around like a rag doll. I don't understand how someone can walk past the house and do that. It seemed like he was trying to kill our poor cat in the video. 'I watched it and felt ill in my stomach. It was sickening. I genuinely thought Marshall was dead and we'd never see him again. But I knew if he was alive, he would come home.' Sarah's eight-year-old daughter Emily was distraught when Marshall went missing last Thursday. As locals helped to hunt for the cat, Emily wrote a heartbreaking letter to her beloved pet which read: 'We won't let you down. If we do, I'm sorry. I love you.' Sarah said: 'Emily was devastated. I just told her someone had been nasty to the cat and he ran away but we'll find him.' When Marshall came back at 1am on Friday, Emily fell asleep snuggling with the cat on the sofa. Shock moment a cat has a near miss with an unexpected explosion Emily said: 'We were cuddling and snoring. I was very sad and angry when he went missing. I wrote a letter to him and I read it to him. We play together a lot. I play with his favourite little cat toy which is a stick with a mouse. 'Lots of people have given him new toys which we'll try playing with. The vet said he's put on weight from all the treats. At least he's home, that's all that matters.' Sarah's partner Stuart Duncombe, 41, a kitchen appliance fitter, said: 'I don't get how anyone could do that. It was really shocking.' Marshall's ordeal came just weeks after Sarah's son Jake, 12, lost his cat Millie when she was run over. The family of Basingstoke, Hants, set up a GoFundMe page to cover vet bills which has raised £4,000. Henry Newey, 18, has admitted causing unnecessary suffering to an animal and is due to be sentenced by Basingstoke JPs in September. 6 6 6
The Sun
21-07-2025
- The Sun
Miracle as cat survives horror noose attack by teen thug smashing the family pet against a wall THREE times
TABBY cat Marshall is on the mend after being swung around in a noose and repeatedly smashed into a wall by a thug. A doorbell camera caught Henry Newey, 18, dragging the ginger moggie by a rope tied around its neck. 3 3 3 The cruel lout was then seen swinging the pet three times into the side of a house. Newey was shown on the footage calmly walking away following the attack at 6am on Thursday. Marshall vanished before returning home in Basingstoke, Hants, at 1am on Friday — gasping for breath and with rope still around his throat. The cat was taken to a vet and given painkillers for bruising and swelling, but amazingly X-rays found no broken bones. A GoFundMe page set up by Marshall's owner Sarah Keeling, who had no pet insurance, has already raised almost £4,000. Any money left over will go to animal charities. Sarah, a mum who is eight months pregnant, wrote: 'As a family we have been overwhelmed by the support. "I have a very happy eight-year-old girl who has her little friend back.' Hampshire Police said: 'We are pleased to report the cat has received treatment and has since returned home with its owners.' Newey, of Basingstoke, was remanded on conditional bail at Southampton magistrates' court on Saturday after admitting causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal. He will be sentenced in September.
CNA
10-06-2025
- CNA
Commentary: What drives seemingly ‘ordinary' people to abuse animals?
Editor's note: This commentary contains disturbing content. SINGAPORE: One hundred dead cats found in a squalid home overflowing with faeces and urine in Japan. A Labradoodle found with bones exposed and massive blood loss after her owner amputated her leg with scissors in Pennsylvania, US. Elsewhere, a global network of users who make videos of themselves mutilating or killing cats, sharing them in online chat groups for profit. These separate incidents, from vastly different corners of the world, are disturbing. They raise the question of who would commit such acts, and why they keep happening. Singapore is not immune. In 2024, animal cruelty and neglect cases reached a 12-year high, according to data by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). Nearly 30 per cent of the 961 cases involved direct abuse or cruelty, while the rest were poor welfare or neglect cases. While recent investigations concluded that the high-profile deaths of several cats in Punggol and Yishun were likely caused by vehicle accidents, the public outcry over what was initially thought to be deliberate acts of cruelty reflects rising concern over the broader treatment of animals. Just last month, a 20-year-old pleaded guilty to committing an indecent act on a cat. In February, a 32-year-old was sentenced to 14 months' jail for abusing five cats in Ang Mo Kio, two of which he threw off HDB blocks. SOMETIMES, CRUELTY IS A CHOICE For many, it is easier to believe that only those who are mentally unwell are capable of such cruelty. We look for signs of mental illness because it allows us to create emotional distance. The truth is, ordinary people who do not have clinical diagnoses are capable of extraordinary cruelty. In fact, animal abusers are often psychologically intact individuals who simply lack empathy, conscience or a moral compass. In many cases, the act is deliberate, conscious and terrifyingly calculated. Mental illness does, at times, contribute to animal cruelty. Individuals suffering from psychosis, whether due to schizophrenia, severe mood disorders or substance-induced states, may act under the influence of delusions. Others struggling with profound depression, cognitive impairment or dementia may neglect animals unintentionally. In these instances, compassion and clinical intervention are essential, and society must respond with a balance of justice and care. But the tendency to explain away cruelty through psychiatric labels reflects a broader societal discomfort with confronting morally reprehensible acts committed by disturbingly ordinary people. By attributing violent behaviour to psychiatric pathology, we risk misunderstanding and mismanaging the deeper roots of such behaviour. SADISM OR IGNORANCE? Cruelty doesn't emerge from a single cause. Some individuals harm animals to assert dominance, to experience a sense of power over a helpless being. Others become desensitised after prolonged exposure to stress or violence, their emotional response to suffering blunted. Some derive pleasure from inflicting pain. Others simply fail to see animals as sentient creatures, operating in a moral void where empathy has never been cultivated. Cruelty itself is not a monolith. Some individuals lash out impulsively, driven by frustration, anger or acute stress. Others, far more troubling, engage in systematic and premeditated acts of harm. This latter group often exhibits emotional detachment and traits consistent with sadistic personality features. Take for example cat abusers who film and sell cat torture videos for money. This is a practice that, according to a criminologist interviewed by CNN, 'is happening much more often than people realise'. In children and adolescents, such patterns may meet the criteria for conduct disorder - a psychiatric condition marked by persistent aggression towards others, including animals. If untreated, this may progress into antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) in adulthood. ASPD presents a clinical conundrum. It is formally recognised as a mental disorder, yet it occupies a liminal space between psychiatry and morality. Many clinicians and ethicists question whether it truly belongs within the domain of medicine, or if it is better understood as a characterological and ethical failure. Unlike other psychiatric illnesses, individuals with ASPD rarely experience distress about their actions. They seldom seek help, and when they do, treatment outcomes are poor. Often, they are only concerned with the consequences of being caught - not about the harm they've caused. Of course, not all harm to animals is rooted in sadism or conscious malice. A large proportion of animal welfare violations in Singapore arise from ignorance rather than intent. Poor pet care, abandonment, and neglect often stem from a lack of understanding about animals' emotional and physical needs. People may underestimate the responsibility of ownership or fail to comprehend the consequences of neglect. The suffering caused is nonetheless real. In such cases, education is more humane and more effective than punishment. CAN ABUSERS CHANGE? Can someone who takes pleasure in cruelty change? In some cases, particularly among the young, yes. Early intervention programmes that combine therapy, empathy-building, and moral education have shown promise. But for individuals who exhibit chronic, sadistic traits, the path to change is far less certain. In such cases, the priority must be protecting the vulnerable - both human and animal. Moving forward, meaningful change requires a multi-pronged approach. Empathy education should be a formal part of school curricula, embedded within character and citizenship education. Children must be taught to recognise emotional life not just in people, but in animals too. The legal consequences for repeated and egregious acts of cruelty must be significantly toughened, not merely to deter would-be offenders, but to affirm, with clarity and conviction, that such inhumanity is fundamentally incompatible with the values of a civilised society. Serious abuse cases should be accompanied by mandatory psychiatric evaluations, to assess risk and guide management. At the same time, the government and voluntary welfare organisations must invest more heavily in public outreach and education on responsible pet ownership. A society is not judged by its affluence, but by how it treats its most vulnerable members - children, the elderly, and animals. Modern life, with its relentless pace and disconnection, exacts a psychological toll. When individuals feel overwhelmed, dehumanised or emotionally numb, their capacity for empathy wanes. Many young people today are raised to achieve academically but are not taught how to understand, regulate or express their emotions. Cruelty does not always announce itself with madness. Sometimes, it is quiet, calculated, and hidden behind an ordinary face. Sometimes, it looks like us. If we cannot acknowledge that, we will never hold it accountable.
BBC News
09-06-2025
- BBC News
Lincolnshire cat owner horrified after pet 'shaved in attack'
A cat owner has been left shocked after her beloved pet returned home with missing fur, which is believed to have been Field, who lives in Gosberton, near Spalding in Lincolnshire, said she found her cat, Bertie, was missing a "big lump of fur from his side" on 7 Field said: "I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Someone must have held him down to do it and it's just a horrible, horrible feeling. It's disgraceful."Lincolnshire Police said it would encourage anyone who is aware of any incidents to report them to the force and to the RSPCA. Mrs Field said the attack on her cat, which is three years old, had left the animal "very, very subdued" and needing to be "persuaded to come for food".She said: "He didn't want to come near anybody, which is very out of character because he normally comes, jumps on my lap and loves a cuddle."It felt like he was shying away from everyone in case they were going to hurt him."Mrs Field also said that she thought more than one person would have been involved because her pet would have "wiggled and run away if he wasn't held down".Similar attacks were reported on other pets in Pinchbeck, near Spalding, and Kirton, near Boston, in February. It is not known if the incidents are linked. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
BBC News
30-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Animal ban for couple who kept 29 pets in flat in Exeter
A couple who kept 29 pets in a flat have been banned from keeping animals for eight Magistrates' Court heard Mark West and Rebecca Sowden had kept 14 snakes, 12 cats, a tortoise, a bearded dragon and a leopard gecko in a one-bedroom flat in Taunton Close, court was told the couple had been given advice 19 times by the RSPCA, social services, police and council officials about the state of the home and pair admitted two charges of failing to ensure welfare for the animals in their care. The court heard Sowden had studied animal care at college and West was a fast food delivery driver. 'Conditions were squalid' The animals were not fed, watered or exercised enough and had to live in the faeces-covered flat with not enough living space or heating, the court Judge Stuart Smith said: "The flat was not fit for humans or animals alike but they were forced to endure those conditions."The prosecution told the court the animals had all been signed inspector Miranda Albinson, who investigated the case, said: "The conditions within the property were squalid."She added: "These animals were badly neglected and were confined within a space that severely compromised their health and welfare."Judge Smith sentenced both Sowden and West to 12-month community orders with unpaid work, ordered them to pay costs of £514 each and banned them from keeping any animals for eight years.
