A CAT owner who strangled his pet using a trouser cord has been banned from keeping animals for life.
Michael Tognetti, 23, of Main Street, Wolston, admitted a charge of causing unnecessary suffering to his tortoiseshell cat Ruby.
Birmingham Magistrates’ Court heard on Friday (October 23) how the RSPCA had visited Tognetti’s address in October last year after receiving a report from a member of the public that he had deliberately killed his pet and buried her body in the garden of his home the day before.
Once there he told RSPCA animal rescuer inspector Helen Smith he was expecting a visit from the animal welfare charity and took her to an area of fresh soil in his garden with a spade lying next to it.
She then took off some top soil and found Ruby’s body in a shallow grave.
The body was taken to a vet’s for examination which revealed she had died due to strangulation.
Tognetti told Helen he had used a cord from his jogging bottoms and said it took about 30 seconds to kill Ruby which he did because she was elderly and he felt she needed to be put out of her misery – although a vet report described her to be of good bodily weight.
Helen said: “Anyone with concerns about an animal coming to the end of their life should seek veterinary advice and putting a pet to sleep to end any suffering should be done in the most humane way possible.”
Another cat at the property, a male called Oscar, was signed into RSPCA care and has since been re-homed.
In mitigation the court heard how in his mind Togenetti thought he was putting the cat out of its misery, and had cooperated with the RSPCA.
As well as the life ban on keeping animals, Tognetti was also handed a community service order for 24 months and was ordered to pay £300 costs and a £90 victim surcharge.
