Un martyriseur de chaton (Halifax-Canada)

[Animal 0]

Je me ferais un plaisir de le castrer à froid le salopard !

Wednesday, May 31, 2006


Outside court: Dennis Perreault of Herring Cove Road was arraigned yesterday on four charges of animal cruelty. (Photo: Paul Darrow)
Accused cat castrator draws crowd at court

By Lindsay Jones
The Daily News

COURT - The man accused of snipping off a kitten's testicles and part of its penis was arraigned in court yesterday on four charges of animal cruelty.

Dennis Perreault was charged with two counts each of animal cruelty under the provincial Animal Cruelty Prevention Act and the Criminal Code. The 38-year-old from Herring Cove Road allegedly castrated a seven-week-old kitten with scissors and no anesthetic nearly a month ago.

Perreault acquired the kitten and its feline sister after responding to a classified newspaper ad, offering free kittens.


The kittens were seized after the SPCA received a complaint. The male kitten was immediately taken to a vet and charges were laid.

Emergency surgery initially saved the kitten's life, but four days after it was seized, the kitten succumbed to infection.
After his arraignment yesterday, Perreault left Halifax provincial court surrounded by reporters, photographers and concerned citizens. As he left, The Daily News asked the diminutive man if he had harmed the kitten.

"No," Perreault said. He didn't elaborate, saying only, "I don't want to talk to you."

According to court records, Perreault was charged twice in 2002 for public nudity. In both cases, however, the charges were dropped.

Perreault didn't have a lawyer yesterday, and will be back in court to enter a plea Aug. 22.

SPCA spokeswoman Judith Gass was in court yesterday. She said she'd like animal cruelty laws to have more teeth.

"We've been trying for years to get stiffer penalties and put these types of animal cruelty charges in a different portion of the code," said Gass. "But we certainly haven't been successful."

The maximum penalty for the summary offence would be six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

The white-nosed, black kitten captured hearts all over the province. Many called the animal hospital and SPCA, offering to adopt it or give cash toward its medical treatment.

Animal-rights activist Caroline Barsellotti attended the arraignment yesterday to see the case unfold in court.

"It certainly makes the case for people (not to) give up their kittens free to a good home. You cannot guarantee what's going to happen to the animal if you keep allowing kittens to come into existence and then donate them like that."

The Halifax woman said the crime was shocking.

"It's really quite alarming. You'd never do that to a human. Why would it ever occur to somebody that they can save a few bucks by doing it themselves at home?

"It's not a haircut."

Lucinda MacLeod, who runs a non-profit cat shelter in Sackville, came to court on Spring Garden Road yesterday because she was touched by the case.

"I just feel so bad for the little kitten. We have a litter that same age," said the woman, clutching a stuffed black and white cat. "He looks like him."