Flatmate found guilty | Ipswich Pets | Animal and Dog News in Ipswich

AN IPSWICH labourer who wanted to get rid of his flatmate's cat bound the animal's legs with zip ties so it could not escape during the night, a court heard yesterday.

“Cookie” the ginger short-haired feline was rescued from a neighbour's back yard at Booval early last month after desperately dragging himself along with his only free leg.

Alon Alan Mesika, 20, later admitted tying the cat up with a view to dumping it in the bush at a later date.

Defence lawyer Erin Beer yesterday told Ipswich Magistrates Court that her client's flatmate had breached the rules of their lease by keeping the cat in the house.

Ms Beer said Mesika aimed to restrain the cat without inflicting cruelty and dump it the next day.

“He loosely tied the cat's paws,” Ms Beer said.

Bearing the cats's extensive injuries in mind, however, Magistrate Matthew McLaughlin said he found the defence's version of events hard to swallow.

“This is not the worst case of animal cruelty, but by the same token, the version of the facts given by Ms Beer seems to be very watered down,” Mr McLaughlin said.

“I don't believe for a minute the cat's paws were loosely tied.

“One of the cat's paws was swollen and it was in obvious distress and pain.”

The Magistrate said he accepted Mesika did not plan to kill the cat but said his plans to abandon the cat were “quite callous”.

“This doesn't speak highly of you at all - you should feel pretty ashamed of yourself,” he said.

Mesika pleaded guilty to one count of animal cruelty. He was fined $300 and ordered to pay $241 compensation for vet bills.

Cookie's owner, 17-year-old Madeleine Cotterill, yesterday said she felt the penalty given to her former flatmate was too soft.

“It's disgusting - the zip ties were so tight that the vet had trouble getting them off with a scalpel,” Ms Cotterill said.

The RSPCA is forced to put down 12,500 abandoned cats every year in Queensland.