Pet owners can for the first time be guilty of an offence before an act of cruelty has been committed, for example by overfeeding their pet. The Act says a person responsible for an animal must provide it with a suitable diet, intake of water, environment and housing and ensure it can behave normally and is without pain or disease… Maximum penalties for breach of the new rules include a ban on owning animals, fines of up to £20,000 or up to 51 weeks in prison.
This means that a pet owner could face a prison sentence of practically a year for overfeeding their pet! Seems complete MADness if you ask me. Especially when you consider situations such as this one in America…
(Illinois) The police reported that 29-year-old Andres Marcelo held down and forced a 15-year-old girl to have sexual intercourse. As a result, Marcelo was found guilty of attempted aggravated criminal sexual abuse and sentenced to 60 days in jail and 24 months probation. He was also ordered to pay a sex offender evaluation fee and court costs.
60 days for raping a 15 year old…
357 days for having a fat cat…
I really don’t have words for this.
Oh, I've gotta go – my caterobics dvd has just arrived. And where is that lazy cat hiding?
