A kitten was rescued by animal rights activists after being abused by its owner. The young woman from Moscow bit the cat’s tail and repeatedly smashed the animal against a wall while streaming the torture online.
The woman, who goes under the name of Svetlana Daraselia on the Russian social network VK, claimed she was high on drugs and drunk as she was torturing her four-month-old cat, Thomas.
In the video, that sparked a wave of indignation and calls to prosecute her for animal abuse, Daraselia can be seen chewing on Thomas’s tail, slapping him on the muzzle and throwing the kitten against the wall, repeatedly.
WARNING: DISTURBING VIDEO
Without a hint of mercy for the helpless feline, she is seen shouting at him to shut up in response to the cat’s heart-wrenching meows.
With the disturbing footage going viral, a friend of Daraselia alerted animal rights activists who took the kitten away. In a bid to explain her brutish behavior, the woman claimed she was under heavy influence of drugs and alcohol and was not able to control her “impulse.”
As to what her triggered the abuse, Daraselia said she pounced on Thomas after he tore up her expensive curtains, a gift from her friend that had bought them in the from US. The curtains, she claimed, cost some $25,000.
Animal protection activists who had rescued the pet from the abusive owner described Daraselia as an aggressive and a violent person.
“We had a good talk with her. Her aunt brought the kitten to the door, it was screaming. Svetlana wanted to come with us to a vet hospital, but we did not let her… She was threatening to kill everyone, swearing,” Eldar, an animal protection activist, told the Russian Moskovsky Komsomolets daily.
After examining the kitten, a veterinarian diagnosed Thomas with concussion and multiple hematomas. “The whole belly is one big bruise.”
The feline is to stay in hospital for several days while activists search for a new home.
Thousands of angry comments flooded Daraselia’s page on VK, many calling for the strictest punishment.
Police said it has been looking into the footage of the incident. If investigated and found guilty of animal cruelty, Daraselia could face six months under arrest or up to a year of community service.