Southampton Man Admits Swinging Cat By Its Tail

8 January 2014, 13:14 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50

A man from Southampton who was filmed dangling his cat by the tail has been banned from keeping animals for 10 years.

Matthew Coffin pleaded guilty to two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to Daisy the cat after he was filmed on
a mobile phone as he man-handled the animal in his studio flat in September last year.

You can view the footage below, but you may find it upsetting:

 

The 27-year-old, of Vanguard Road, claimed at first that he was not showing off, but was preparing the cat for a visit by someone who had a tendency to pull cats’ tails.

However, while he maintained his reason for pulling the cat’s tail, he admitted before the magistrates an element of bravado when he acted in the way that he had.

RSPCA inspector Penny Baker said: “The 10 year ban handed down by the court shows how seriously they viewed these offences.

“He is very lucky that the cat wasn’t more seriously injured. Daisy was less than a year old at the time and didn’t weigh much.

"If he had done that when she was older and heavier then he could have caused serious damage to her spine.”

Coffin was fined £150 and also ordered to pay £257.50 costs.