A woman caught on CCTV dumping a cat in a wheelie bin has been charged with causing unnecessary suffering to the animal
Mary Bale, 45, has also been charged with failing to provide the cat with a suitable environment, contrary to the 2006 Animal Welfare Act, an RSPCA spokesman said.
Bank worker Bale, of St Michael's Road, Coventry, will appear before magistrates in the city on October 19 to answer the charges.
Footage of Bale putting four-year-old tabby Lola into the bin sparked outrage and made international headlines, with some animal lovers calling for her death on social networking site Facebook.
It led to an investigation by the RSPCA, which interviewed Bale and sent a file on the case for review by its prosecutions department. A spokesman said: "Ms Bale was witnessed on CCTV footage stroking a cat, then looking round and picking the cat up by the scruff of its neck before putting it in a wheelie bin, shutting the lid and walking away from the scene. At no point did she return."
It is understood that the cat was trapped in the bin for approximately 15 hours, although it was not physically injured.
In a statement released to the media shortly after the incident in August, Bale said she was profoundly sorry for her actions, describing them as a split second of misjudgment. She added: "I cannot explain why I did this. It is completely out of character and I certainly did not intend to cause any distress to Lola or her owners."
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