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Sweet Valley, Pennsylvania (The Weekly Vice) - Humane officials say a Pennsylvania woman pierced black kittens with goth jewelry and then attempted to market their sale on the Internet.
According to reports, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals removed three kittens from the woman's home on Wednesday. The kittens were being sold complete with piercings in both ears, neck and tail.
Authorities say the woman owns a pet grooming business that she operates from the basement of her home.
Authorities first became aware of the alleged abuse when a man in another state saw an ad for "Gothic Kittens" that were being sold on eBay. The man called the number on the ad, visited the home and saw the kittens, according officials.
The Weekly Vice went on the hunt and found the advertising to be a little more widespread than authorities are saying. Perhaps they just didn't dig deep enough, but the ads are still running.
One such ad reads as follows with misspelled words left intact: "Snarley Monster is a 3 month old, floppy eared, lovable kitten with a docked tail, 14 guage ear piercing, 14 guage submission ring (on the back of neck). snarley monster comes with 14 guage jewlery and silk submission lead to clip on neck ring " taking best offer OVER 400.00
The Weekly Vice Opinion:
Above, I captured one of several screen shots I have of the advertisements used to market the abuse of an animal. Yes, I'm leaving the phone number in the ad intact. If you don't want your number on the Weekly Vice, then don't abuse an animal and then post your number for the world to see.
Hey, we're hip to piercings and/or goth. But making an animal suffer to make a lifestyle statement? What the hell is up with that?
I'm not sure why charges haven't yet been filed in this case. Surely stabbing a cat with a piercing needle (or whatever the heck this woman used) should easily qualify as cruelty to animals. I challenge any official to explain to me why it shouldn't.
Danny Vice
The Weekly Vice
http://www.theweeklyvice.com
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13 comments:
Yes it absolutely is abuse. no argument from me
I don't see why this is any better or worse than seeing a two or three month old baby girl with her ears pierced. I'm sure they use a sharp needle and I'm also sure that the kid doesn't like it very much. In fact, the same woman who had her cats removed for piercings could have an infant child with piercings that nobody would think twice about. And oh by the way, you can have the kitten spayed or neutered and that's okay. This story is much tadoo about nothing. If nobody bought the kittens with piercings, she would stop doing it.
reality_check, I have to agree about the babies with piercings. It's just as ridiculous, especially when a kid can ask for pierced ears when they're a little older, thus avoiding the chance that they are being subjected to pain without any say in it. Still, does this practice, or the fact that people bought the pierced kittens make it ok that the woman did it? You seem to be implying that that's the case and your argument is completely illogical. The people who bought them are wrong, the lady who pierced them are wrong, and people who have their babies stabbed with piercing needles are wrong. It's all cruelty. Why would one form of cruelty make another form ok?
So you're saying it's okay to take a baby and pierce it all over it's body with goth jewelry?
Yeah, okay. That makes sense. Not!
Reality check, I think you're forgetting one thing.
A cat's ears play a really important role in it's balance. So does it's tail. By piercing them, you really create unending misery every single time it walks and jumps.
Animals are not people. They aren't build the same way.
As far as piercing babies ears. Yep that seems to me to be punishment for the baby, all for the parent's amusement.
Well the ad says "Tailess". And since I doubt all the kittens are born without a tail, I can only guess as to what that means.
Reality-Check, are you seriously telling me it's alright to poke holes in an animal, cut off it's tail and then abuse it more by selling it to someone who would dig that sort of thing?
I think YOU need a reality check.
The number is on the ad is still accepting messages as of 2:00 this afternoon. This woman should not be grooming animals.
If she wants business THAT bad, well here you go lady.
Pawside Parlor
71 Dobson Rd
Sweet Valley, PA 18656-2436
(570) 477-1524
moyalyn@aol.com
Humm.. Me thinks Reality Check is the the lady herself.
Come on reality, you can admit it, we wont pierce ya! =)
Since I guess everyone missed the point of my original posting, let me slow it down a little bit for you all. But first some comments. I was glad to see Zima actually pick up on the fact that the cat's tail had been cut off!! Nobody cares that the lady cut the tail off, but piercing the ears, yeah that's horrible.
Next, all of you criticising me better be vegetarians, or your animal cruelty accusations don't carry a lot of weight.
I do not now, nor have I ever condoned animal cruelty. What I was trying to point out, was the obvious lack of perspective. We (as a society) punch holes in our baby humans everyday and nobody seems to care. But one deranged woman pokes some holes in a kitten(s) and that makes news? Should you poke a hole in a cat's ears, NO.
The other point I was trying to make, was that people are obviously buying these kittens. Those people are scumbags too. If there was no market for this, the woman would not be doing it. If they are going to arrest her for selling them, they better be arresting them for buying them. Again, all these cat-abusers probably have little girls with pierced ears that nobody cares about. So before you all get superficially offended on behalf of these kittens, think a second or two about the big picture.
How is this worse than tail docking, ear cropping, or de-clawing? It's dumb, i'll give you that. But it isn't abuse anymore than these other accepted practices are.
Eric, where the difference comes in is when it's done at home instead of in a vets office with local anasthetics. People don't have the right to just randomly start cutting holes in animals, chopping off their tails, etc.
Also, a docked tail serves a useful function for a dog. There's a purpose behind it and it doesn't impede the animals activities. A cat however relies heavily on it's tail for balance.
What useful function is there in putting heavy jewelry in a cat's ears?
Again, a cat's balance is vital to it's natural function. Even their whiskers play a role in tuning their balance. Putting heavy jewerly in their ears that flop around will throw that nature instilled balance off and just annoy the animal who may start scratching at it's ears to get rid of them. That causes infection.
All just so it's owner can blow pot smoke in it's ears and then show it off to friends?
I'm sad to see that you think this is normal and okay. Please don't get a pet anytime soon.
Eric,
Ear cropping, tail docking, and de-clawing are all illegal in many countries. The European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals has focused on the banning of these procedures.
As for the woman selling these pets- shame on you for hurting animals for profit! Unlike human piercing, a pet can't choose to accept pain in trade for style. I'm sure the kittens could care less if they are "goth" enough to fit in with the other cats.
i'm shocked! believe me or not, i live in wonderland ok i'm a crazy ppl, but i'm shocked! poor babies!
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