The Raise on the Animal Cruelty Cases

Shocking animal cruelty by British pet owners is on the increase with new figures showing last year was one of the worst the RSPCA has ever seen.Figures for 2005, released by the RSPCA today, show an alarming rise in cruelty cases from the year before, with convictions up by 20 per cent and some types of ill-treatment up by more than 100 per cent.But more worrying still is the increasing number of cases where inspectors have been shocked by the extreme violence used against defenceless animals, the charity said.The most repulsive cases of cruelty the RSPCA saw in 2005 included:* a woman who boiled her terrified cat to death in a washing machine* a dog whose leg had been sawn off by his owner in an amateur amputation* a puppy kicked to death by a yob in steel toe-capped boots* two dogs whose throats were slit by a thug in a violent rage after an argument* a stinking flat containing 271 animals shut in tiny cages with no water* a dog suspended over a balcony to 'improve its fitness'The figures show the number of convictions the RSPCA secured last year was 2,071, the highest for five years and a rise of a fifth on the previous year.These followed investigations into 110,841 complaints (up six per cent) and 251,234 visits (up one per cent).Inspectors raised concerns over the welfare of a staggering 94,130 animals, a rise of 77 per cent on 2004.These included 34,337 injured or sick animals that were not taken to a vet, 25,784 animals denied access to drinking water (up 104 per cent), and 33,308 animals kept in unclean environments.And the number of owners ignoring inspectors' welfare advice doubled in a year.Jackie Ballard, director general of the RSPCA, said: "In terms of the types of cruelty as well as numbers this is one of the worst years we have ever seen and our inspectors are becoming increasingly concerned about what could be facing them when they go into a property."We used to have lots of negligence cases where owners, perhaps through ignorance, didn't take proper care of their pets."Now we're seeing more cases where people are using shocking violence against animals, like stabbing them repeatedly. It's often that the animals are in the wrong place at the wrong time and people take their aggression out on them."We have had a rise in the number of calls, which could partly explain the increase in the number of investigations and convictions, but there are definitely a lot more serious and violent cases out there now."As to why people are doing this to their animals, God only knows."It's sad in the 21st century that we are having to deal with this level of cruelty. But despite our best efforts, there are those who continue to ignore our messages and treat animals with brute force instead of compassion."Ms Ballard said that as the law currently stands the RSPCA can only prosecute owners if an independent vet can prove cruelty has taken place. Otherwise inspectors can only issue advice, which some owners ignore.She added: "We'd rather not get to the stage of prosecution. We'd far rather prevent cruelty than take owners to court. But we have no powers to prevent cruelty with current legislation."She said this might change with the new Animal Welfare Bill, due next year, which will mean people have to provide a basic standard of care fro their pets.She also welcomed proposals for tougher sentences. The maximum penalty now is six months' imprisonment and a fine of £5,000. This could rise to 51 weeks' imprisonment and a £20,000 fine.Ms Ballard said: "Sentences will increase which is good news. Hopefully it will be a deterrent."Neglect is still the most common cause behind the majority of cruelty cases. It was the major factor in one of the largest ever RSPCA cases involving 271 animals kept in a small dingy flat in Lancashire. Rosalind Gregson was banned for life from keeping animals after inspectors discovered 246 dogs, 16 birds, five cats, two kittens, a rabbit and a chinchilla kept in cages, stacked one on another, in her flat in Silverdale, near Carnforth.The walls and windows were coated in dirt and excrement and the air was thick with the smell of faeces and ammonia. The animals were kept in cages so small they couldn't move, and when found they were emaciated and in poor condition.But other recent cases have highlighted the trend towards greater violence and disgusting abuse.Norwich mother Holly Thacker, 34, was jailed for six weeks after she put her pet cat Fluffy in her washing machine on boil cycle. An inspector found the body in her wheelie bin.The court heard the terrified cat broke all her claws as she struggled to free herself from the rotating machine drum. A vet estimated it would have taken between five and ten minutes for the animal to die.Speaking after the case, RSPCA inspector Rob Melloy said: "In the seven years I have been working for the RSPCA as an inspector, I have never come across anything as heartless as this. It was a deliberate act of cruelty and she knew the cat would die in the washing machine." In another case, an inspector was horrified when he discovered an owner had sawn off his dog's leg. It emerged that Bumper the dog had been injured in a road accident a year earlier but not properly treated. When his condition worsened, owner Griffith Prosser, 36, of Aberfan, performed his own surgery with an electric knife.David Ramsey, 39, of Worksop, was jailed for four months and given a lifetime disqualification from keeping animals after pleading guilty to cutting the throats of his two pet dogs.His solicitor told a court Ramsey was depressed when he snapped after an argument and attacked the dogs. One dog died but the other recovered and has been rehomed.A heartless 17-year-old youth from Somerset wearing steel toe-capped boots kicked his pet puppy to death and dumped the body in nearby woods. He got a 10-month referral order and was banned from keeping animals for four yearsAnother case that stunned RSPCA inspectors involved a man who strung up his 18-month-old Staffordshire bull terrier cross-breed by its hind legs and dangled it on a chain over the balcony of a block of flats in Kilburn, London. Passers-by rescued the squealing pooch and reported it to police.Owner Meriwan Hassan Soor, of Leyton, east London, claimed he did it to improve the dog's fitness. He was ordered to do 120 hours' community punishment and pay £2,000 costs, and was banned from keeping any animals for three years