Princess the cat was left paralysed after the alleged attack. Photo: Sawyers Gully Animal Rscue
AUSTRALIA – A man has been officially charged over an alleged attack on a cat that had just given birth to a litter of kittens, leaving it paralyzed, in the state’s Hunter region earlier this month.
It is alleged a boy saw a man swinging a cat by her tail and hitting her against a trailer back on May 6.
Police said that the boy called out to the man before alerting his mother.
The boy and his mother believed the cat, who had just given birth to a litter of kittens, had died. They then located the animal, who suffered a broken spine and legs, had returned to her kittens the next day.
An X-ray of Princess the cat’s injuries. Photo: Sawyers Gully Animal Rscue
A 58-year-old man is now being charged with torture, having beaten and seriously injuring an animal.
He will be in court in Kurri Kurri on June 30.
The cat, named Princess, is unlikely to ever walk again.
She has lost the entire use of her hind legs and requires manual help to excrete waste.
In the days after the cat was found, Sawyers Gully Animal Rescue Weston put out an appeal for some donations, raising literally thousands of dollars for Princess.
The group ultimately asked donors to stop sending money specifically for Princess’ care after they were overwhelmed with the generosity of the general public.
The group received more than $10,000 in donations from a total of 245 donors, including more than one contributing over $1000 to the animal’s support.
President Dee Walton told the Herald earlier in May the cat was unable to excrete her own waste by herself and would likely never be re-homed.
“It’s just not something you can give up, she needs that lifelong commitment,” Mrs Walton stated.
The group offered this update on Friday that scans showed “Princess is paralyzed for life, she will never regain the use of her bladder and she will be prone to bladder infections”.
“The possibility of her living to the old age of 17 + is diminished,” the went on to explain to their followers.
