Cat killer sentence marks progress for animal rights

Animal welfare campaigners in Russia have welcomed a court ruling sentencing a man to six months of community service for killing his cat. The punishment is a rare one in a country with few laws to protect pets.

Andrey Churilov was convicted of animal cruelty in early October and told RT he is sorry for his actions.

“It was my birthday and I was drunk,” he said. “I came home, and the cat made some mess in my room. I didn’t want to kill it – I simply wanted to punish it. I stuck it out of the window. The cat got scared, and started to scratch me and slipped out of my hands.”

Neighbours reported him to the police, which began the legal process which resulted in his community service.

But Andrey’s conviction is something of a one-off in a country which doesn’t regulate pet ownership and often lets abuse go unpunished.

Animal rights activist Evgeny Ilyinsky believes the government needs to toughen up animal protection laws – and wants ordinary Russians to change their attitude to pets.

“I think the main trouble about Russian legislation is there are no federal laws regulating pet-related issues like in Europe,” he said. “But also the treatment of pets in Russia lags behind the West. A person must understand that having a pet is not simple, it is like having a child. A person must provide for their pet.”
 
Another animal lover, Elena Myakinkova, who runs a small sanctuary for abandoned pets, thinks things need to change.

“I think rich people have no responsibility and poor people have no money” she said. “Sometimes people have too many cats and they cannot look after them. I think there should be a government programme for defending animals.”

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