First Felony Cruelty-to-Animals Charge in Alabama Awarded to Abuser of Humans, Cat Torturer: Five-Year Prison Sentence!

October 2003

An Alabama man hanged a stray cat by a shoestring, doused her in lighter fluid, and set her on fire–she was found in the woods, alive, and was euthanized. The abuser is the first Alabamian charged under the state’s recently enacted felony provision. We did some research and learned that he had previously been in trouble for assault, domestic battery, and child endangerment for putting a girlfriend’s baby in the freezer. After months of trial delays–during which PETA put pressure on authorities–the abuser was finally convicted and sentenced to five years in prison.

Read about the link between animal and human abuse.

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 Ingrid E. Newkirk

“Almost all of us grew up eating meat, wearing leather, and going to circuses and zoos. We never considered the impact of these actions on the animals involved. For whatever reason, you are now asking the question: Why should animals have rights?” READ MORE

— Ingrid E. Newkirk, PETA President and co-author of Animalkind