Homeless man kills cat, barbeques it in the street as horrified passerby yells, 'Go to work if you are hungry'
A video clip of a man barbequing a cat in the street was made public today as he continued to cook the cat in front of horrified commuters, according to reports. The homeless man, who has not been named, reportedly attempted to barbeque the cat by using a makeshift fire on a pavement near to the Campiglia Marittima station in the province of Livorno, Tuscany in Italy.
Shortly after the commuters raised alarm, the man was detained by local police officials, however, he was later released, according to Italian press reports. According to the animal abuse law in the country, anyone needlessly causing an animal's death is punished with a prison term between four months to two years. A video of the horrific incident was taken by a passerby, which showed an enraged woman confronting the homeless man, saying "we do not cook cats," to which he replies with admissions, "I do not have any money."
The woman then yells back, saying, "You will go to work if you are hungry, as everyone does. I see you have the money to buy cigarettes, not the money to buy bread. Shame, poor creature."
The disturbing video fo the incident was shared by the Northern League MEP Susanna Ceccardi on her Facebook page. The politician wrote: "A chilling episode in its brutality, but unfortunately completely true. I congratulate the Carabinieri [local police] who arrested the torturer, now we are asking for an exemplary sentence."
You can watch the video here: Graphic Content Warning
Ceccardi, while talking to local newspaper Corriere della Sera, said: "I was contacted this morning, immediately after the incident on Messenger by some citizens who described to me what happened, in shock. And from one of them, I received the video, they are strong, raw images. Some told me that as they got off the train they saw the smoke and smelled a very strong, acrid smell. Someone even tried to stop the man, but there was nothing that could be done for the cat.”
“We are not in the Wuhan animal market but in Tuscany," the politician added. "To the people who have witnessed this scene this morning and who are still shaken by what happened, I want to express my solidarity for the courage they have had, trying to put an end to this brutality. Now you need an exemplary penalty."
Another politician, Michaela Vittoria Brambilla, also commented on the video, calling it "an unacceptable, terrible act."
In a similar incident in the UK, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), an animal welfare charity, had brought another disturbing incident to the fore in April by releasing shocking images of a cat burnt to death on a disposable BBQ in Doncaster. The animal welfare charity at the time had said that they were looking into reports that a cat was skewered and burnt in an alleyway in Wheatley after it was discovered by a horrified dog walker. The discovery was made by Diane Powney in an alleyway opposite shops in Beckett Road, where she was on her way back from walking her dogs. The cat was reportedly discovered on top of a disposable BBQ with a rod inserted into it.