More cruelty to cats!

If certain people, politicians included, need more proof about the animal-cruelty that is so prevalent on our islands, the following is just the tip of the iceberg. Wherever you look, the proof is there. Only the blind will fail to see it - and the worst of the blind are those who refuse to see.


Anger as pet kitten is shot dead
Ariadne Massa
Feline model... Krug felt he should be the star of the show. When Claude Camilleri was posing for a photo shoot to promote his restaurant, the black kitten sashayed in and demanded full attention.
On a blustery Tuesday morning Claude Camilleri swerved into his restaurant's car park and from the corner of his eye saw something black strewn by the side.
Assuming it was a bin liner blown in from the streets, he went inside to drop off his bag and returned some minutes later to pick it up - lying there in a piteous state was his 16-week-old kitten.
"Krug had an airgun pellet lodged in his ribs. He was not yet stone cold so he must have been shot a few hours before I arrived. He was minding his own business on private grounds," he said.
Mr Camilleri, who runs Palazzo Santa Rosa at Mistra Bay, was first engulfed by fury and then distress that something so barbaric could happen in a supposedly civilised society.
"Why would anyone want to murder an innocent, pretty pet? Surely these are not the actions of a civilised, mature, social, or decent human being," he said.
The locals told him the culprit could well be a hunter who caught nothing and wanted to vent his frustration on a moving target.
This theory was strengthened by accounts from farmers in the area who have witnessed similar incidents in the past.
One such farmer, who preferred not to be named, told The Sunday Times that over several years more than 200 cats have been shot by hunters or mauled to death by hunting dogs, usually Tal-Fenek (Pharaoh Hounds).
"The situation gets worse in June, when the rabbit season opens, and in October. The cats obviously distract hunters' prey, so they shoot them," he said.
The farmer adds that not all hunters indulge in this heinous act. On the contrary, there was a hunter who went out of his way to feed the cats in the area, "though it's probably also a way to keep the felines occupied while he hunts," he added.
"I always keep cats in my fields. Apart from being good company they also keep the area free of rats. They never bother anyone. The more I love them, the more these things happen. I just have one cat left now," he said.
The little black Krug had won the hearts of the restaurant staff and patrons who dined on the terrace.
"Even our toughest member of staff couldn't resist him," Mr Camilleri said.
Krug, and another kitten called Cristal, were adopted by Mr Camilleri as part of his programme to support feline organisations that rescue and neuter abandoned cats.
Both kittens were rescued by Lorna D'Anastasi, an animal lover who salvaged them from a farm, which was being converted into an apartment block.
"I spent a week rescuing cats and kittens that were lucky enough to have avoided being buried under the rubble," she said when contacted.
Krug had lost all his siblings and was badly dehydrated and sick. At Mistra, with a lot of love and patience, he was nursed back to health.
"We had really bonded with Krug, which made it harder to accept he had to face such an end," Mr Camilleri said.
Mr Camilleri, who spent years living abroad, returned to Malta because he felt he could contribute to the island's economy, but this incident has left him disillusioned, saddened and heartbroken.
"Not because we lost a loving pet, but because all our efforts to demonstrate a better lifestyle have suddenly been shattered. Suddenly I want to go back where I came from and turn my back on this god-awful place," he said.
"This is not a one-off incident. People burn down trees, damage the environment and regularly steal our organic produce.
"This is a sign of a nation devoid of any social responsibility, dignity, self-respect and manners. We may have joined the EU, but when it comes to the moral fibre of the nation we are still a third world country."
He believes there should be stiffer penalties for cruelty to animals and referred to a recent incident in the US where a man was sentenced to six months imprisonment for throwing a dog out of a balcony in a fit of anger.
"We simply cannot just sit back and accept the harm caused by these outcasts of society... I just hope these people see the error of their ways," he said.