Agony due to stillbirth

Second acquittal for Pinzgau cat woman

The trial took place in Salzburg Provincial Court.

(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

The painful stillbirth of a cat brought a Pinzgau woman before the judge again on suspicion of cruelty to animals. As the woman apparently did not notice the birth of her cat, she could not be accused of intent. She was acquitted.

First of all: the unemployed defendant has an adult representative and impaired comprehension. And she had already appeared before the same judge in August on the same charge: Cruelty to animals. Just like then, she was acquitted on Tuesday.

Help sought three days later
The facts of the case were different this time: according to the indictment, the woman, who at times kept up to 20 cats at home, caused agony to a mother cat in February 2022 because she had not noticed a stillbirth that was painful for the animal and only sought help three days later. "She didn't notice anything about the birth process, not even the pain," said the defense lawyer, who added: "The cat is fine again, she also had kittens again."

As it was not possible to prove whether the pain was deliberately inflicted, even according to witnesses, the judge announced a non-appealable acquittal. "I believed them. But the cat thing is a problem with you," the judge said to the defendant. And the woman replied: "I haven't had any cats since January anyway." They were taken from her.