A Styrian (25) chopped up a three-week-old blind baby cat in May. He and his neighbor (39) had to answer to the criminal court of Graz on Thursday for animal abuse. Both were found guilty (not definitively) and given fines.
Repented and visibly affected, the two neighbors appear before Judge Erik Nauta. Both confessed: She asked him to end the life of a three-week-old cat with a hoe. What exactly happened?
“Susi” had babies. That’s the name of the second suspect’s cat. However, one of these babies turned out not to be healthy. “The eyes were dull and she could barely open them,” says the 39-year-old. The vet, to whom another neighbor brought the cat, found that the cat was blind – but otherwise “viable”. In the end, even her eye problems could have grown out.
The owner seemed desperate. When the 25-year-old dropped by “for a cup of coffee” one evening, they made the momentous decision: “He asked if it would be best if we exchanged them. I agreed,” said the defendant. “Not a good idea, isn’t it,” said the judge. The woman asked her neighbor to do the deed. “Because I couldn’t. He said he would crush her head.”
Animal shelter and euthanasia not an option
Why didn’t the two try to take the cat to the shelter? “It’s hard to fix a burp cat anyway,” says the Styrian Marker. Putting the kitten to sleep didn’t seem like an option either, although the vet would have offered it if the kitten couldn’t find a suitable lonely home. “We didn’t want it to end up in a cadaver processing facility somewhere.”
hug to death
After the decision, the two left the cat to its mother for an hour and petted her. Then the 25-year-old sprang into action, he says. “But turning my neck seemed too insecure to me. I put her on a wooden box in the basement and took a pickaxe.” He chopped off the kitten’s head in two strokes, and the two ‘buried’ the animal in the garden.
“I see it was a mistake. It was thoughtless and stupid,” the Styrian regrets his act, which was revealed by an anonymous advertisement. In any case, the expert’s report confirms one thing: the cat died immediately and did not have to suffer.
“Kill for Convenience”
Judge Nauta considers animal cruelty a deliberate murder. “They knew the animal was viable. Killing for convenience is also willful, rather than seeking a place in an animal shelter.” He sentenced the 25-year-old to a fine of 3,600 euros and the 39-year-old to 1,680 euros – not legally binding.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
