A man who put a live cat in an oven received a six-month prison sentence, a €4,000 fine and a life-long ban on owning pets in absentia on Monday.
At a party on the Noordstraat in Kortrijk during the summer of 2018, the man used the cat as a football, before putting it in the oven for 15 minutes, reports HLN.
A number of days later, the cat, Sprotje, was brought to the veterinarian, reportedly by the mother of one of the attendees of the party.
Two vets, Valérie Huvaere and Joshua Dutré, took care of Sprotje, who suffered burns on her legs, her entire left side, her ear and muzzle, reported Nieuwsblad.
“The first two months were very intensive. She lived from painkiller to painkiller," explained Dutré.
“This man is crazy, has no moral sense of guilt and must be kept away from animals all his life," said a spokesperson from the animal rights organisation, Gaia.
The costs for Sprotje's recovery were covered by a crowdfunding campaign.
Following on from the incident, the Sprotjesfonds group was established for similar incidents of animal abuse.
Evie McCullough
The Brussels Times
