WARNING - This article isn't very nice, it doesn't contain many details or images or anything along those lines but it does say what happened. I'm sure the title is bad enough, but if you feel that you will be distressed by reading it - Don't. Just close the tab and carry on browsing. Now, my first reaction was one of blood boiling rage and I'm sure yours will be similarly outraged. Please read the article before commenting, It's not long and I will BOLD the important bit. [quote]A woman who killed her pet kitten by cooking it in a microwave because she thought it had attacked her goldfish has been jailed for 14 weeks. Laura Cunliffe, 23, of Hoyland, near Barnsley, put black-and-white Mowgli into the microwave and turned it on for five minutes. She was jailed at Barnsley Magistrates' Court after admitting causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. District Judge John Foster said it was an "act of utterly horrendous cruelty". The court heard Cunliffe put the kitten into the microwave and switched it on but took the animal out about a minute later when she realised what she had done. The kitten died later. 'Suffered terribly' [b]Her solicitor, Alan Greaves, said Cunliffe had longstanding problems with psychotic depression and had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act 20 times. As she was sentenced a family member shouted from the public gallery: "She doesn't know what's happening - she hasn't a clue." Another shouted: "This is a failure of medical services, judge."[/b] Mr Foster told the defendant: "This was an act of utterly horrendous cruelty on your part on an animal that, as far as I could see, had come to trust you and rely on you." Cunliffe was banned from keeping animals for life and was told she cannot apply to have this ban reviewed for five years. An RSPCA spokeswoman said: "This was such a sad case and clearly this poor kitten would have suffered terribly over a prolonged period of time. "Sentencing is a matter for the courts but we hope this means other animals will not have to suffer in the future in this way."[/quote] So again, the woman in question was a psychotic depressive who'd been sectioned 20 times. That's a seriously impressive number considering she is only 23. This woman is clearly ill, not just depressed but on a whole new level of ill. The questions that come to mind are- -Was she actually being looked after properly by the Mental Health Professionals? -Who in the name of all that is -blam!-ing stupid let her own a kitten? -Why is the judge sending her to jail rather than a Psychiatric Hospital? Now do bear in mind, animal cruelty is something I would punish with a 12 gauge but at the same time, you can't and shouldn't punish someone who is not compus mentis with jail time. Anyway, thoughts? If you make a cat pun, you are a bad person and you should feel bad. *slaps*