Posted on 01/22/2009 12:19:44 PM PST by Born Conservative
SHICKSHINNY (PA)– Two people who allegedly pierced three kittens that they marketed as “gothic kittens” on Web sites are facing animal cruelty charges.
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Luzerne County filed six counts of cruelty to animals and three counts of criminal conspiracy against Holly Crawford, 34, of Dobson Road, Ross Township, and William Blansett, age unknown, of Sweet Valley, on Tuesday. The charges were filed with District Judge John Hasay in Shickshinny and mailed to Crawford and Blansett.
Humane officers with assistance from the state police at Shickshinny executed a search warrant at Crawford’s home, where they seized the kittens with ear, neck and tail piercings on Dec. 17. At least one of the kittens had a submission ring on its tail to prevent blood flow, resulting in its tail to fall off in time.
Cindy Stark, with the county SPCA, said Wednesday that the kittens are doing well, and are being held as evidence.
“The kittens are part of an animal cruelty case; they’re evidence and have to be held until the end of this, including the appellate process,” Stark said.
Humane officer Carol Morrison said the kittens were being advertised as “gothic kittens” on the Internet auction site eBay, and being sold on a pet classified Web site, which included an attached picture of a pierced kitten. The sites have since been taken down.
“We’re certainly thrilled that charges have been filed; our people are on stand-by to testify,” said Daphna Nachminovitch, vice president of cruelty of investigations for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, based in Norfolk, Va.
Nachminovitch said a person from another state contacted PETA in December after seeing the pierced kittens on eBay. Two PETA investigators contacted Crawford and Blansett and arranged to see the pierced kittens, Nachminovitch said.
“We got in touch with the SPCA as soon as we could and we sent someone to (Crawford’s) home to verify that the kittens were pierced and were on eBay,” Nachminovitch said. “The person that went to the home obtained probable cause for the search warrant.”
Crawford and Blansett couldn’t be reached for comment Wednesday.
The charges that were filed involved the kittens, not a dog that was found in Crawford’s home with pierced ears, Stark said.
“It’s stunning, someone who is capable of doing this to kittens, she also pierced her own dog,” Nachminovitch said. “They were trying to make a profit on these kittens.”
Crawford operates a pet-grooming business called Pawside Parlor in the basement of her home. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement, pet-grooming businesses don’t need a license from the department unless they keep the animal overnight.
Preliminary hearings are tentatively scheduled on Feb. 17.
Not a kitten person totally a dog lover/owner but that is just horrid.
Cat didnt have a choice.
What a lame brain cruel idea to inflict on a pet.
People are sick.
The more I learn about people, the more I love my dog.
how does it square with infant/ toddler piercing?
or this
There has got to be a special place in the hereafter for dimwits like these two—a searingly hot place where all sorts of demons will harass them for eternity.
I am a loyal staff member of Fluff the cat.
Oh that’s ridiculous. My cat rips the hell out of her own head because she has a skin condition, piercing the cat’s ear probably hurts a heck of a lot less. We do it to our babies, but we go to jail if we do it to our pets?
I am totally against animal cruelty but I don’t really see the big deal is here. It would be perfectly legal for this person to put a bullet in the kittens head.
Is English the author's second or third language?
I had a cat with a piercing and a few notches in his ears, but those were from other neighborhood cats instead of some goth freak.
Okay, so... for your animals, tattoos and chips under the skin are GOOD, but body piercings are BAD.
Got it!
I think.
PETA says it’s A-OK for human children (it’s “COOL” and “HIP”, after all)... just don’t try it on a cat or you’ll do HARD time!!!
You have got to be kidding me. And they can't find budgets to cut. Just astonishing.
Wait, wait: don’t tell me! Obama voters, right?
I am not a chihuahua fan, but that one is adorable.
Or how about declawing kittens? They actually have to cut bones to do that. It would be like having the tips of your fingers cut off. Or what about branding cattle, debeaking chickens, etc.?
Personally, I think we are taking all this animal cruelty stuff too far. They're animals. We kill animals and eat them. If people knew what a lot of the animals we eat go through they'd be horrified. Yet we keep passing new animal cruelty laws, adding new crimes to the books and making the existing crimes a lot more serious crimes, turning misdemeanors into felonies. I'm sure the people pushing for all of this are well meaning, but they'll keep pushing until the laws become absolutely ridiculous. Someday it's going to be illegal to swat a mosquito.
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