Posted on 09/16/2009 7:00:52 AM PDT by Born Conservative
WILKES-BARRE – Attorneys for a woman accused of piercing the bodies of three stray kittens have asked a judge to dismiss the case, saying that charges of cruelty to animals and criminal conspiracy are “unconstitutionally vague.”
Lawyers for Holly Crawford, 34, of Dobson Road, Ross Township, filed court papers Tuesday asking for the dismissal, stating prosecutors “failed to provide reasonable notice of the conduct” that Crawford is charged with.
Three counts each of cruelty to animals and criminal conspiracy were filed after humane officers and state police searched Crawford’s home on Dec. 17 and seized three kittens with ear, neck and tail piercings.
At least one of the kittens had a ring on its tail used to prevent blood flow, causing the tail to fall off in time.
Crawford’s attorneys, John Pike and Robert Buttner, asked a judge to quash and dismiss the charges because there is no evidence Crawford acted “wantonly and maliciously” and that prosecutors did not show enough evidence at a February preliminary hearing to prove Crawford treated the kittens in a way that abuses or neglects them.
In April, Crawford pleaded not guilty after waiving an arraignment through her previous attorney, Demetrius Fannick.
Deputy District Attorney David Pedri said recently that the three kittens were pierced a total of 10 times.
The cats were taken from Crawford and treated at a local veterinarian’s office. The tail of one of the animals had to be surgically removed.
Crawford allegedly pierced the ears and necks of the 2-month-old kittens and tried to sell them on the Internet as “gothic kittens.” She will stand trial on the charges on a date yet to be determined.
In a January interview with The Associated Press, Crawford said she didn’t think there was a difference between piercing a cat or a human.
“When I did it, it wasn’t with any cruel intentions,” said Crawford. “They were definitely loved, well fed, no fleas, clipped nails. And they were happy.”
Crawford said in the interview that she used surgical soup and sterile needles and that she checked the kittens throughout the day to make sure they were healing.
Similar charges against Crawford’s boyfriend, William Blansett, 37, of Sweet Valley, were withdrawn by the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office in February.
Removing a cat’s tail is abuse as they use their tail for balance. You can’t “make” a Manx. A tailless cat’s body is built differently.
I made it to 50 without seeing that, but 100 would have been nice. Thanks.
Honestly, short of the tail bobbing, the pain would be no worse.
My dog is microchipped. I know breeders who tattoo, just like you said.
Those things don’t interfere with movement. Dangling jewelry would pose a danger. Cats can get a collar caught on something and choke. That’s why they now make breakaway collars. Jewelry would pose the same sort of risk.
I don’t like it. It’s weird. No law was broken. If the cat could talk (2 squares a day, shelter,in exchange for a a couple of punctures and maybe spay/neuter), he’d say “It’s a deal!”
I didn’t even make it to 50.
Bleah.
I think it’s pregnant with a baby whale inside.
Or maybe it just at its parents.
Bull,
Bobbing a cats tail is no different than bobbing a dogs tail. The animal is fine. I’ve seen pleanty of cats who’ve lost tails to injury and accident, they live completely fine lives and have no issues jumping, landing, running, living without falling over.
I don’t agree with piercing your animals, and wonder highly about people who would want to, but this isn’t a crime.. its just abject stupidity of certain people.
Plus bobbing tails, cropping ears and removing claws are common practice. And they are usually done for no reason related to the welfare of the animal, just for the pleasure of the owner.
Dang, people! I’m trying to eat here!!!! :-O
Yes it is.
Balance in the cat: role of the tail and effects of sacrocaudal transection - Science Direct
To determine whether the tail of the domestic cat plays a role in balance during locomotion, four cats were trained to traverse a narrow beam. To challenge balancing ability, a sudden lateral displacement was imparted to the beam as the subject was crossing. Freeze-frame videotape analysis revealed that cats responded to beam movement by rapidly moving the tail in the opposite direction. Adjustment of the tail contributed to realignment of the hips over the beam and enabled the animal to remain aboard the beam. Following complete sacrocaudal spinal transection, that eliminated supraspinal control to only the tail, cats fell significantly more often in response to movements of the beam. The importance of the cat's tail for balance, and the utility of this system for modeling functional consequences of spinal cord injury and therapeutic interventions, are discussed.
Tails are wonderful, expressive body parts used by cats for communication purposes as well as for balance.
About 10% of a cat's bones are in its tail. A cat's tail is a wondrous feat of engineering and the cat depends on it for balance.
Well, I wouldn’t do it.
I really love my cat (lump of orange that he is) and I see no need to decorate him up.
He’s beautiful the way he is.
Besides, he’d probably find a way to attack the dog with the metal anyway. He is always plotting that way!
The difference is that Humans can SAY whether they want tattoos, body piercings etc. That is their choice. Personally I think its utterly stupid, vanity gone mad, and shows a despisement of the body God has given you, but it is their choice.
But a kitten, that has no choice. I can accept chipping and spaying, because those are non-visible once completed and designed to help the animal, but this is just pandering to Human fashion in order to make a fast buck. It is a reprehensible action and it needs to be stamped on hard.
And here I thought that people putting sweaters on their doggies were horrible.
LOL!! If he didn't use it on you first. :-) I love cats. Bless their devious little hearts!
I tell people that it's body graffiti.
Sorry, but arguing its part of “expressiveness” has nothing to do with science. Dog’s don’t wag their tails? Please.
Bobbing a cats tail is not abuse.
Again I’ve dealt with countless cats that have lived very full lives without their tails, trying to argue it as abuse is nonsense. I’ve watched tailess cats jump, scamper, and every other thing that tailed cats do daily with no problems or issues.
Cropping any animals tail in my opinion is stupidity, certainly, but not abuse.
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