Pennsylvania Court Affirms the Obvious: Piercing Kittens is Animal Cruelty
An Animal Rights Article from All-Creatures.org

FROM

Kelly Beth on This Dish Is Veg
June 2011

[Ed. Note: Here's another example of the slow-but steady pace that law enforcement is taking animal abuse more seriously...Woman Charged with Animal Cruelty for Selling Pierced ("Goth") Cats Online.]

A dog groomer and piercing enthusiast has been convicted of animal cruelty, after offering “gothic” kittens for sale on eBay for $100.00 each, since 2008.

When her grooming parlor was raided, police removed three kittens, a cat and a dog. Judge Kate Ford Elliott wrote that “metal protruded from the kittens’ small bodies, pierced through their ears and necks, and at least one of these kittens also had an elastic band tied around its tail, an attempt at docking …”

Holly Crawford, owner of Pawside Parlor in Sweet Valley, Pennsylvania, argued that she doesn’t believe her acts were cruel, since veterinary procedures such as declawing are legal.

The law forbids “acts that maim, mutilate, torture or disfigure the animal.”

Crawford was found guilty of animal cruelty, which was upheld by the Superior Court panel.


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