Man killed cat by throwing it in washing machine because it broke his Buddha statue

A French man is due in court this week for killing his cat by throwing it into his washing machine in a fit of rage after the feline knocked over his statue of Buddha.

The forty-year-old was at his home in the town of Briec in the western region of Brittany last February when the cat bashed into and broke the statue of the founder of a religion that encourages loving kindness towards all beings.



Furious, the owner grabbed bis pet and threw it into the washing machine, which he then switched on for a 40 degree cycle. A neighbour upstairs heard bizarre noises. When she phoned the man to ask what was going on, he replied that he had killed the cat and had put its body along with the broken Buddha into a rubbish bag.

The neighbour alerted police and animal welfare organisations. The man is due in court in the Breton town of Quimper. Three animal welfare groups, including the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, have taken out civil suits against him.