Mother tried to cover up microwave kitten death

A kitten was cooked to death when a four-year-old boy put it in a microwave. The pet, named Cassie, was left to cook for two minutes before being found by the youngster's mother, a court heard.

Claire Frear said the animal was 'fitting' when she pulled it from the microwave but she did not take it to a vet as she thought it would recover. However, six hours later the kitten was dead and Frear dumped it in a bin bag outside the family home.

The 23-year-old ended up in the dock after RSPCA inspectors and the police received a tip-off about the dead cat. They visited her house and found the pet in the bin bag. They then took Cassie's body away for lab tests to discover the cause of death. When they first interviewed Frear she said the four-month-old black-and-white cat had died from leukaemia.



But checks with local vets did not substantiate the claim. She eventually came clean when she was told the post-mortem examination suggested the kitten may have been exposed to heat, such as that generated by a microwave.

Hilary Doherty, defending, said her client's son had mental health problems and she left him alone only briefly while she went upstairs to fetch him some clothes for a trip to her parents. 'She really does accept that she ought to have known the kitten was poorly and she ought to have known to take it to a vet,' Miss Doherty added.

Frear, of Nelson in Lancashire, was banned from keeping animals for five years after admitting causing unnecessary suffering to an animal by not securing veterinary care. She was also placed under a three-month curfew between 7pm and 7am and told to pay £250 costs by Reedley magistrates, near Burnley.