CAT- LEG BROKEN AND ROTATED 180 DEGREES

31st July 2008

In April 2008, SPCA Inspector Herb Verstegen attended a house on Constable Road Waiuku, Auckland. He found a ginger cat there which had a severely apparently broken leg so bad that the bones of the leg where sticking through the skin and the cats leg had rotated 180 degrees. Imagine the pain that this cat would have been in.

On removing the cat and taking it to the vets at Auckland SPCA it was found that the leg was dislocated and that the injury had been like that for 14 days. The vet also stated that the cat would have suffered immense pain which could have been alleviated if the owner, Lillian Henry had taken it to a vet.

The owner when she was interviewed at Auckland SPCA stated that she had known about the injury for a month and had done nothing due to lack of money.

At Pukekohe District Court on 23rd July 2008 Lillian Henry pleaded guilty to 1 count under the Animal Welfare Act 1999 being failing to provide treatment to the cat.

She was sentenced to 5 years disqualification from owning or being in charge of any animal, 120 hours community work and reparations of $1,122.81

Inspector Verstegen said,” The suffering of this cat must have been extreme and this is reflected in the sentence”

David Lloyd-Barker, General Manager Auckland SPCA said, “It is a real shame that Ms Henry didn’t pick up the phone and talk to us. If she had done so when she first knew of the cats suffering we could have helped her rather than taking her to court”

For further information please contact:

David Lloyd-Barker
Auckland SPCA General Manager
Tel: (09) 256 7311
Mob: 027 278 0904
Email: david.lloyd-barker@spca.org.nz

Herb Verstegen 027 2780 905

This media release is issued with approval of the Chief Executive of the Auckland SPCA.  For further information regarding this or any other policy matters please contact:

Bob Kerridge, Chief Executive
Auckland SPCA
DDI: (09) 256 7306
Mob: 0274 959 449
A/Hr: (09) 528 9940
Email: bob.kerridge@spca.org.nz