The RSPCA on Friday issued thanks to everyone in the media and the public who took an interest and helped to identify a 20 year old man caught on video on October 29, dancing and twirling down the street while swinging a cat named Mowgli by the tail. The RSPCA posted a statement saying, “We would like to thank the media and the public for their help in our appeal following this incident involving a cat being swung by his tail.”
After several people identified the young man and contacted the police and the RSPCA, Riain Richards went voluntarily to the police station in Margate, Kent for questioning on Friday morning upon being pressured by his family to turn himself in for before he was arrested. He has been interviewed and released, as the investigation continues.
Petmom Michelle Buchanan was quoted saying,”It’s horrific. I can’t believe anyone would do something that cruel. Mowgli is emotional. He’s just distraught. He won’t go out the door.” Mowgli is not seriously injured by the attack but has been traumatized, according to Ms. Buchanan. “When I got home, he was in my bed so that he would feel secure. Now he’ll go as far as the door and turn back. He used to be outside constantly. He’d be scratching at the window.” Ms. Buchanan has two other cats, Missy and Milly, and believes that all the cats have been emotionally affected.
RSPCA Inspector Caroline Doe said after the revolting incident and before Richards turned himself in, “This was a very violent, nasty attack on a cat. Anyone who witnessed this outside the pub must have been as shocked and appalled as we were. We [were] hoping that someone will recognise this man and come forward so we can investigate this fully.” Several people did come forward. Both Ms. Buchanan and Richards reside in Ramsgate.
As with the Mary Bale case, when video of a woman befriending a cat and then dumping it into a trash bin went viral and caused her to be identified, widespread publicity and the viral spread of the video identified the culprit.
In the Mary Bale case, she asked for protective custody. We shall see where this case goes.
Ms. Buchanan and a representative of the RSPCA speak anout the incident in the following video, which also includes the CCTV footage. some readers may wish not to view it, it they have not seen it already. We chose not to report on the story until the perp was caught. Continued public outcry and media attention may help to insure rigorous prosecution and punishment in the case. Hopefully, Richards will receive more than the slap on the wrist that Mary Bale got. This incident was much worse, of course, but both have the “caught on video” element.
About Author
Leta hope that the locals take action against this revolting specimen and make him sorry
Keep your cats inside please!
I am glad that this is being taken seriously. I hope that he gets a strong punishment. I hope that Mowgli will be okay. Good luck little kitty. I did not watch the video. I did not want to see such a horrible thing.
Stacy and others who have stated the fact that it is so important to keep one’s cats inside, I fully agree! A friendly cat needs to be confined safely within the owner’s home. It is the only way to keep your beloved feline safe.
The only cats that should be outdoors are the feral felines who were born on the streets and therefore are unable to be socialized as indoor pets. But even those cats need to be altered and given human help with food, water and shelter. The Trap-Neuter-Return philosophy is what I am describing.
“Train your children from their earliest days to be infinitely tender and loving to animals. If an animal be sick, let them try to heal it, if it be hungry, let them feed it, if thirsty, let them quench its thirst, if weary, let them see that it rests.”–Abdul-Baha written in 1912
Have his parents taught him the above lesson? Hoping this young man gets the help he needs now, by both his parents and the law. Because if he gets off with almost nothing, his future is bleak, and he is a criminal in the making. Jail time is in order along with mandatory counseling!
should stop using the term cat swinger. before i read it i thought it was some kind of joke! hope they punish him enough…..bad person
This makes me seriously sick to my stomach. No healthy person would be capable of doing something like this.
How sad to see the abuse that is going on.
Luckily, there are a lot more good people who actually love animals and treat them well.
I feel for the poor cat that was traumatized. It probably was a friendly animal who the purp approached with ease. That kid should pay big time. I am sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that it isn’t the first time he has torched an animal, it is just the first time he has been caught! He should be punished and made to pay a huge fine to the owner for torching and traumatizing her poor kitty. Honestly, hit him where it hurts…. in his wallet and put him behind bars in behind bars. Society need to impose stricter penalties on people who abuse animals. They are defenseless in the hands of perverts and criminals.