Owner stabbed her cat then put it in a freezer

A pet owner who stabbed her cat up to ten times while she was drunk sported a grin and gave a thumbs up outside court as she was spared jail last week.

Suzanne Bennett, 48, from Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, knifed her black and white moggy called Poppy up to ten times after drinking three bottles of wine on January 19.

She then dumped the critically ill feline inside her kitchen freezer alongside her frozen ready meals before she called the police to confess.

Officers heard the distressed cat meowing from inside the freezer when they arrived at Bennett's home and found the pet had sustained stab wounds to her leg and neck.

Poppy made a miraculous recovery after being treated by a vet and is now in the care of the RSPCA.

Bennett, who had two other cats, admitted to causing unnecessary suffering and was spared jail, instead being ordered to complete an 18-month community order after JPs were told she has severe mental health issues.

She was also ordered to complete a nine month alcohol treatment requirement was fined £100 and told to pay £300 in vets' bills and £95 in costs. She was disqualified from keeping any animals for five years.

Anna McDonald, prosecuting, told the court that a vet found Poppy had ten wounds in total after the stabbing, 'ranging from a one-millimetre puncture to a four-centimetre puncture'.

She added: 'It's the vet's opinion that Poppy suffered from chronic pain as a result of her wounds.

'The vet also said the cat suffered mentally due to the injuries and from being confined in the freezer.'