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Feb 3, 2010

Pierced kittens trial begins

WILKES-BARRE (Pennsylvania) - A NORTHEASTERN Pennsylvania woman is on trial to face animal cruelty charges for marketing 'gothic kittens' with ear and neck piercings over the Internet. The trial of 35-year-old dog groomer Holly Crawford began Tuesday in Wilkes-Barre. Prosecutors say she inflicted pain on the cats to make money. Attorneys for Crawford say she didn't act maliciously. Crawford's home outside Wilkes-Barre was raided in December 2008 after the SPCA of Luzerne County received a tip that she was marketing the animals online for hundreds of dollars. Crawford says she used sterilized needles and made sure the kittens were healing properly. She said she wasn't trying to hurt them. -- AP

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Animal protection officers have seized "gothic kittens" with piercings which were being advertised for sale on the internet.




The photo of 'Snarley Monster' which appears on the advert

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals removed three kittens and a cat from a home outside Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. "This is a first. It's unbelievable anybody would do this to kittens," animal protection officer Carol Morrison told the local Times Leader newspaper. They were tipped off after a listing appeared on a website under the title "pure black, tailless, pierced, gothic kitten". One of the defenceless creatures, named Snarley Monster, is shockingly described as "a three-month-old, floppy-eared, loveable kitten with a docked tail" in the advert. The animal is pictured on the site with two 14-gauge ear piercings and a "submission ring" through the back of its neck.



Ring on back of kitten's neck

The owner asked for offers over $400 for the kitten, the jewellery and a silk submission lead to clip onto the neck ring. Ms Morrison said the kittens would be checked over by a vet before a decision is made on whether they will be placed in new homes. The woman, who had a pet grooming business in the basement of her home, is expected to face charges.