Prosecuted: the woman who killed her beloved pet cat trying to cure its limp (From Thisisdorset)
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Prosecuted: the woman who killed her beloved pet cat trying to cure its limp
8:46am Tuesday 9th October 2012 in Latest
Prosecuted: woman killed her beloved pet cat trying to cure its limp
A WOMAN accidentally killed her cat after giving it paracetamol to treat a limp.
Claire Pritchard gave Midnight a quarter of 500 milligram tablet twice over two days after noticing it was limping.
The drug is poisonous to cats and Midnight died despite treatment.
She was prosecuted by the RSPCA and admitted causing unnecessary suffering and failure to protect the cat from suffering.
The 43-year-old from Mandale Road in West Howe was given a two-year conditional discharge.
Poole Magistrates Court also ordered her to pay £280 in costs.
RSPCA Inspector Graham Hammond, inset, told the Echo afterwards: “Mrs Pritchard said the cat came home and she noticed she was limping.
“She thought it may have been knocked over by a car.”
She gave the cat a quarter of a 500mg tablet followed by a second quarter the following morning.
The cat later collapsed and a family member called the RSPCA asking for help.
She was put on a saline drip to combat dehydration and boost her energy levels but died from organ failure.
Pritchard told the RSPCA she thought cats could take paracetamol because she believed she had seen her mother do it as a child.
“That could have been a cat medicine,” said Insp Hammond, adding: “This case is a warning to other people. She had the use of the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals which is a free service but chose not to use it.
“This cat needlessly died because she administered a substance that is poisonous to cats.
“A cat cannot digest paracetamol the same way a human can because it doesn’t have the same enzyme that is required.
“If you suspect your animal has got an injury refer it to a veterinary surgeon every time.”
The incident occurred between June 19 and 21 this year. Read our interview with Claire Pritchard
Comments(75)
muscliffman
says...
9:09am Tue 9 Oct 12
Making a mistake is not a criminal offence and I am sure the loss of the poor cat through your own stupidity is a big enough price to pay.
Unless something is not being told here it may be time to reconsider my regular RSPCA donation, this is not what I intended it to be used for.
Bohochic72
says...
9:16am Tue 9 Oct 12
@muscliffman - I make my donation to PDSA as more of it goes to actual pet care.
a.g.o.g.
says...
9:16am Tue 9 Oct 12
whataboutthat wrote:Jobsworths! Did they also perform a post mortem to be sure that it was the paracetamol that caused the cats death and not trauma caused by whatever had happened to cause it to limp? Many cats by instinct manage to run from a car collision to then die later in solitude.
I can't believe this. This misguided woman makes a mistake and the animal police prosecute her. Two years conditional discharge - what a travesty. Why did the magistrates not simply throw this one out? Shame on the RSPCA for wasting my money on the courts' time and for needlessly persecuting this woman. Inspector Hammond - makes him sound right good and proper!
Whatever, well intended actions to reduce any animals agonies or ills do not deserve this kind of Pantomime performance.
Jim_Springbourne
says...
9:20am Tue 9 Oct 12
The poor lady accidentally killed her cat through ignorance and will have suffered enough grief - I know if I did such a thing, I would not be able to forgive myself. Why compound things with a needless, pointless prosecution that was not in the public interest. She should have been given an absolute discharge, and the RSPCA a rocket for bringing the case in the first place.
High Treason
says...
9:20am Tue 9 Oct 12
afcb-mark
says...
9:20am Tue 9 Oct 12
Your reporter in spain
says...
9:25am Tue 9 Oct 12
With the cost of vets being so high it's hardly surprising people will try their own remedy
rayc
says...
9:29am Tue 9 Oct 12
nosuchluck54
says...
9:30am Tue 9 Oct 12
afcb-mark wrote:I am afraid that anyone who thinks that giving animals drugs without advice,should not have the responsibilty of having pets and if the report is correct and the animal suffered then the owner deserves to be punished
I actually feel quite sorry for her. She didn't intentionally poison the cat rather thought she was helping it. A bit silly but not malicious. What next, lock someone up who gives a dog chocolate as that is poisonous to dogs and could kill them, but how many people know that.
Morrigan
says...
9:31am Tue 9 Oct 12
There may be more to this story than is printed here, but as it stands I would definitely say the RSPCA should not have taken this to court. It does not appear to have been done with intent to harm the cat and I expect the poor woman has been through enough knowing she caused the death of her own cat.
People who deliberately hurt animals and mistreat them get off more lightly than this lady. What a waste of time and money - the RSPCA being "holier-than-thou" big time ........ but when I called them a couple of years ago after I found an abandoned pet rabbit they refused to help in any way and I had to take it to the PDSA, who kindly took it in.
The RSPCA should have taken the case as a unfortunate incident and used it to educate people - not prosecute them.
Buddles
says...
9:31am Tue 9 Oct 12
On the outside it looks like "death by misadventure" to use a human inquest term.
Unless there is something we haven't been told this is just a tragic outcome. As an ex vet nurse it was quite common for cat owners to ask if paracetamol was OK for cats....the answer was always an emphatic "no" due to its toxicity in cats.
Yes a quick phone call or a trip to the PDSA would have prevented this but involving the RSPCA as a case of deliberate suffering, I fail to see this unless we haven't been told the full story.
rayc
says...
9:34am Tue 9 Oct 12
nosuchluck54
says...
9:39am Tue 9 Oct 12
sussexcherry
says...
9:44am Tue 9 Oct 12
Eddie's dog
says...
9:59am Tue 9 Oct 12
summerchild
says...
10:06am Tue 9 Oct 12
I stopped supporting the RSPCA years ago after reading about a pensioner who was prosecuted for his dog being too fat !!! Seems at times, that the RSPCA is only after prosecuting the easy options, shame on you Graham Hammond and shame on the RSPCA.
elite50
says...
10:07am Tue 9 Oct 12
Think of all the local wildlife given a new lease on life!
mysticalshoelace
says...
10:36am Tue 9 Oct 12
The Renegade Master
says...
10:37am Tue 9 Oct 12
uvox44
says...
11:08am Tue 9 Oct 12
ashleycross
says...
11:24am Tue 9 Oct 12
What causes the confusion over whether to give human medicine to animals is the fact that cats and other animals are used in drug testing for drugs to be given to humans. I believe that the organisations that are against this point out that the fact that a drug works for an animal doesn't prove that it will work for humans and may be dangerous for them.
Dog friendly 1
says...
11:45am Tue 9 Oct 12
I also agree that the lady should have known better than to feed her cat (or any animal) human medicine BUT there are lots of people who still think its ok to give their cat/dog whatever animal human medicine to take the pressure off high vet bills.
Do also be aware that unless they have changed their policy, the RSPCA no longer take in unwanted or stray dogs, ONLY cruelty cases. If you leave your dog with them or hand in a stray (thats if they accept it), I believe they now have a policy to PTS the animal. I stopped supporting them years ago. Stick to your local rescue centres or PDSA centre or Blue Cross centre. Sadly I think the RSPCA have got "too big for their boots" and the compassion for animal welfare is now not at the top of their agenda as it used to be; they appear to be too corporate now.
elite50
says...
11:49am Tue 9 Oct 12
Look at the facts.
She tried to do the right thing by the cat.
She made a mistake.
Some moron from the R.S.P.C.A. tries to make a name for himself .
The woman gets convicted.
She should have let the thing just die.
Some of you people need a reality check.
This story is about a sick CAT.
The woman was pretty naive, just about eveyone knows that if you want to kill the pesky cat from next door you just put 2 aspirin in a bowl of milk.
She knows now.
BROCKSDAD
says...
11:54am Tue 9 Oct 12
Imaximus
says...
12:06pm Tue 9 Oct 12
username is already in use
says...
12:14pm Tue 9 Oct 12
EDDIE GROVES.
says...
12:35pm Tue 9 Oct 12
I'm flying out there as soon as possible
i will get it banned
trust me.
leagalbrief
says...
12:44pm Tue 9 Oct 12
uvox44
says...
12:48pm Tue 9 Oct 12
live-and-let-live
says...
12:48pm Tue 9 Oct 12
Bathsheba
says...
12:56pm Tue 9 Oct 12
scoooobles
says...
1:10pm Tue 9 Oct 12
she may not have killed it on purpose but she didnt take an injured cat to the vets on purpose which is neglect and causing unnecessary pain and suffering!
Just because she is ignorant enough to think that a human medicine would be ok for an animal doesnt make it ok.
Stupidity is not an excuse!
Matthew_Y
says...
1:11pm Tue 9 Oct 12
Pablo23
says...
1:14pm Tue 9 Oct 12
I didn't know paracetamol was poisonous to cats, so I for one learnt something.
Not that I would have risked given one to a cat anyway to be fair but still.
KLH
says...
1:19pm Tue 9 Oct 12
Wasn't expecting that matey boy were you. Won't give them a penny, I would contact any organisation about a sick animal but them.
KLH
says...
1:21pm Tue 9 Oct 12
Eddie's dog
says...
1:28pm Tue 9 Oct 12
My innocent reply: "After 8 years in China, I can eat either......."
High Treason
says...
1:32pm Tue 9 Oct 12
nosuchluck54 wrote:Yes and it is cheaper than a pencil with elastic bands.
And of course paracetamol is well known to cure limp.Gentlemen take note
mattkuk
says...
1:51pm Tue 9 Oct 12
Richard Head
says...
1:55pm Tue 9 Oct 12
High Treason wrote:OMG!!!
nosuchluck54 wrote:Yes and it is cheaper than a pencil with elastic bands.
And of course paracetamol is well known to cure limp.Gentlemen take note
"A pencil and elastics bands" and to think, all this time I've been spending a fortune on ............... Oh well! never mind.
Thanks guys
The Renegade Master
says...
2:08pm Tue 9 Oct 12
EssexBoy1956
says...
2:16pm Tue 9 Oct 12
EssexBoy1956
says...
2:17pm Tue 9 Oct 12
DAISY3073
says...
2:22pm Tue 9 Oct 12
The woman shouldn't have been prosecuted, yes she needs educating about this but then obviously so do a lot of people, and yes she should have taken the cat to the vets. I expect the fact that she accidentally killed her poor cat is punishment enough.
Maisie
says...
2:22pm Tue 9 Oct 12
H2o-hara
says...
2:25pm Tue 9 Oct 12
whataboutthat wrote:I agree when you consider those idiots who take their dogs for a walk on cliff edges seem to expect sympathy.
I can't believe this. This misguided woman makes a mistake and the animal police prosecute her. Two years conditional discharge - what a travesty. Why did the magistrates not simply throw this one out?
Shame on the RSPCA for wasting my money on the courts' time and for needlessly persecuting this woman. Inspector Hammond - makes him sound right good and proper!
rayc
says...
3:44pm Tue 9 Oct 12
The Renegade Master wrote:I'm defending her and I am in no way ashamed. I am ashamed to live in a country where the full force of the law is used on a woman who has made a genuine mistake in trying to care for her pet.
Quite frankly, the people on this forum defending this stupid woman are idiots themselves. Hang your heads in shame. You know who you are.
FrDarryl
says...
3:47pm Tue 9 Oct 12
Yet how much time do people get trying to kill a police officer with a truck or a knife?
I must be delirious because I just don't get it. A quick look online indicates haloperidol is sometimes indicated.
fire40
says...
4:13pm Tue 9 Oct 12
scoooobles
says...
5:04pm Tue 9 Oct 12
I hope everyone on here feels sorry for me when I go to prison.
FNS-man
says...
5:27pm Tue 9 Oct 12
scoooobles wrote:Scoobles, I've got some horse transquiliser tablets. Surely they'll do something for the little tyke? No point checking on a website whether it'll kill your child, I'd just give them to him and see what happens.
I think my child has been hit by a car, I won’t take it to the hospital though, I’ll try and give it some Bob Martins for a few days and see what happens. I hope everyone on here feels sorry for me when I go to prison.
Arjay
says...
5:27pm Tue 9 Oct 12
Clearly a case for advice and education, rather than for prosecution?
Antagonising potential donors by forcing through this prosecution is no way to help raise the profile of the RSPCA.....
One is inclined to say to Inspector Hammond, using the immortal words of Captain Mainwaring:
'You STUPID boy'......
Adrian XX
says...
5:37pm Tue 9 Oct 12
This case is a warning to other people
This is indeed a warning to other people: NEVER EVER CALL OR INVOLVE THE RSPCA IN ANYTHING.
They are a lunatic-fringe charity who would like the world to be vegan. They were set up to prevent cruelty but they interfere in cases where there is clearly no cruelty involved. They were even once interested in prosecuting a case of someone eating a fish alive (instead of just letting it die slowly in the air first then eating it). This just goes to show how crazy they are.
The woman should have sought good legal advice: there has to be proof that the animal suffered and didn't simply die in a stupor.
dvdr
says...
5:47pm Tue 9 Oct 12
As said, I don't like cats, but I do sympathise with someone trying, with perhaps limited resources, to help her pet. Good for her! Bad for the RSPCA!
Adrian XX
says...
6:05pm Tue 9 Oct 12
She should have let the thing just die.
I'm inclined to agree.
Lord Spring
says...
6:37pm Tue 9 Oct 12
FNS-man wrote:I used find Ellimans Horse Linament very good for muscular pains my mother swore by it
scoooobles wrote:Scoobles, I've got some horse transquiliser tablets. Surely they'll do something for the little tyke? No point checking on a website whether it'll kill your child, I'd just give them to him and see what happens.
I think my child has been hit by a car, I won’t take it to the hospital though, I’ll try and give it some Bob Martins for a few days and see what happens. I hope everyone on here feels sorry for me when I go to prison.
Howdie
says...
6:47pm Tue 9 Oct 12
Howdie
says...
6:49pm Tue 9 Oct 12
mysticalshoelace wrote:completly agree.
The paracetamol may have been ignorance but not taking it to the vet when you think it's been hit by a car is downright neglect!
Specialist
says...
6:57pm Tue 9 Oct 12
KLH
says...
7:17pm Tue 9 Oct 12
Specialist wrote:Well, one of the things this story has done is publicise a way of killing cats using medication that practically everyone has in their homes. And knowing how many people do not like cats... Of course I do not condone or advocate people using such methods to
Oh well not a bad thing! one less cat killing small birds and crapping in peoples gardens!!!!!
deal with the local feline pest, far from it, just that the story might put ideas in some people's heads.
At least it might result into scaring cat owners to keep their moggies indoors so birds and wildlife can be safe!
scoooobles
says...
7:24pm Tue 9 Oct 12
Adrian XX wrote:Yeah the cat probably didnt even suffer much ..... check out the symptoms, sounds like a right laugh -
This case is a warning to other people
This is indeed a warning to other people: NEVER EVER CALL OR INVOLVE THE RSPCA IN ANYTHING.
They are a lunatic-fringe charity who would like the world to be vegan. They were set up to prevent cruelty but they interfere in cases where there is clearly no cruelty involved. They were even once interested in prosecuting a case of someone eating a fish alive (instead of just letting it die slowly in the air first then eating it). This just goes to show how crazy they are.
The woman should have sought good legal advice: there has to be proof that the animal suffered and didn't simply die in a stupor.
Paracetamol poisoning in cats -
In the first few hours, an affected cat's breathing may become faster and more laboured. Her tongue may go blue and her heart beat faster. These are all effects of a reduced oxygen carrying capacity of the blood. The cat is likely to be depressed, may vomit, or develop swellings of the head and paws. If the cat survives these early symptoms, over the next few days, she is likely to produce blood-stained urine, develop abdominal pain, and may become jaundiced (where the whites of the eyes become yellow). Seizures are possible, as is a lapse into a coma. Death can occur up to 6 days after the consumption of paracetamol.
scoooobles
says...
7:28pm Tue 9 Oct 12
scoooobles
says...
7:33pm Tue 9 Oct 12
oneshortleg
says...
7:38pm Tue 9 Oct 12
HRH of Boscombe
says...
9:54pm Tue 9 Oct 12
.
She deserved to be fine for pure stupidity.
.
Even if she didn't know it was poisonous the dose was way too high for the body mass ratio.
ScoobyVic
says...
10:15pm Tue 9 Oct 12
I as a cat owner do know that paracetamol is deadly the same as lily pollen but I don't assume everyone knows this, she must be devastated.
And to be labelled as a cat killer on the echo website and in the paper will take a long time to go away.
Capricorn 1
says...
10:15pm Tue 9 Oct 12
To prosecute this woman is adding insult to injury, and the RSPCA has shot itself in the foot.
Are there any more metaphors that I can mix?
ScoobyVic
says...
10:36pm Tue 9 Oct 12
You have to bow down to them almost even if they are wrong otherwise they'll take your animals just because they can.
I can't help wondering if she hadn't told them she had given her cat paracetamol if this would even have happened? Have they actually done an autopsy that really said Midnight died from poisoning?
She was stupid for doin it and I certainly don't condone it but think she has paid a heavy price for a mistake.
catlover2012
says...
1:17pm Wed 10 Oct 12
FrDarryl
says...
1:50pm Wed 10 Oct 12
ScoobyVic wrote:If your appraisal indicates a real difference in terms of general policy and practise in the APSCA, then their approach to animal welfare is, on the whole, both more rational and more compassionate for the sake both parties - humans and animals - than their British counterparts.
She was stupid in not contacting the vets but if she thought that paracetamol might help and didn't know it would harm her cat then she wasn't maliciously doing it. When I watch the American ASPCA programmes if they have anyone deliberately neglecting animals ie starving, fighting etc then they prosecute but if they think someone has made a genuine mistake through not knowing and didn't deliberately do it then they try and re educate rather than prosecuting.
I as a cat owner do know that paracetamol is deadly the same as lily pollen but I don't assume everyone knows this, she must be devastated.
And to be labelled as a cat killer on the echo website and in the paper will take a long time to go away.
elfinia
says...
2:31pm Wed 10 Oct 12
She lost her beloved cat and then is prosecuted.
A disgraceful waste of public money and a shocking, pompous lack of common sense from the RSPCA. Why don't they pay for a poster scheme to inform the public NOT to use human medicine on animals.
elfinia
says...
2:42pm Wed 10 Oct 12
I phoned up and they gave me the sad news ( we had had him for 15 years ) and strongly suggested he were euthanised. I asked them to wait until my son ( a teenager at that time ) was back from college so he could "say goodbye" as he adored the cat......they were really unhelpful , saying the cat would suffer ( although the cat had not shown signs of "suffering" and it would just be a few hours).
I was surprised that I was made to feel "bad" about suggesting such a thing. In the event my cat was kept until we got there.
Why was such an autocratic fuss made ?
mummy123abc
says...
7:00pm Wed 10 Oct 12
She gave the cat a quarter of a 500mg tablet followed by a second quarter the following morning.
The cat later collapsed and a family member called the RSPCA asking for help.
She was put on a saline drip to combat dehydration and boost her energy levels but died from organ failure.
so obviously and firstly, they meant no harm, hence them calling for help. The cat was put onto a drip to help but it failed, by the time she found out she was harming her animal rather than helping it, it was already too late.
Obviously if she thought her ct had been hit by a car she should have sought out a vet, but to be honest I grew up with loads of cats and sometimes they get bumps from cars which are so minor they end up with a few scratches and other than that are fine. If her cat looked well and was eating/acting normal apart from the limp perhaps she wanted to sub the pain until morning to go to a vet???
I think people are being too judgemental and unfair in this case and she should never have been charged at all! Especially when there are people out there purposely poisoning cats out of bitterness!!
leagalbrief
says...
10:34am Thu 11 Oct 12
elfinia wrote:Why dont you name and shame this vet for your poor treatment,
I took my cat to the ( private) vet not realising that he had terminal cancer and thinking that I would be bringing him home that evening after treatment.
I phoned up and they gave me the sad news ( we had had him for 15 years ) and strongly suggested he were euthanised. I asked them to wait until my son ( a teenager at that time ) was back from college so he could "say goodbye" as he adored the cat......they were really unhelpful , saying the cat would suffer ( although the cat had not shown signs of "suffering" and it would just be a few hours).
I was surprised that I was made to feel "bad" about suggesting such a thing. In the event my cat was kept until we got there.
Why was such an autocratic fuss made ?
whataboutthat says...
8:59am Tue 9 Oct 12
Shame on the RSPCA for wasting my money on the courts' time and for needlessly persecuting this woman. Inspector Hammond - makes him sound right good and proper!