Michelle Manousis: Blakehurst carer convicted of animal cruelty of deformed cat

The owner of a beloved cat, named Felicia, has been convicted for cruelly keeping her deformed and emaciated pet alive because she didn’t believe in euthanasia. GRAPHIC WARNING

Michelle Manousis appeared in Sutherland Local Court on Tuesday where she was sentenced for was committing an act of aggravated cruelty by keeping alive her sick cat Felicia. Picture: Ashleigh Tullis

GRAPHIC WARNING

A carer has been convicted of animal cruelty after she failed to euthanise her deformed cat which had a large cancerous mass under its mouth.

Michelle Manousis, 64, appeared at Sutherland Local Court on Tuesday where she pleaded guilty and was sentenced for was committing an act of aggravated cruelty by keeping alive her female, white, domestic shorthaired cat Felicia.

Agreed facts tendered to court said on May 24 an RSPCA inspector went to Manousis’ Blakehurst home after a vet reported a cat was cruelly being kept alive.

Manousis told the inspector “we don’t believe in euthanasia”, before the cat was examined.

Felicia was emaciated, had an ulcerated mass affecting her lower jaw to such an extent her tongue was exposed, a foul smell emitted from the mouth and discharge was on the fur, which was severely matted, documents state.

Michelle Manousis (left) with her lawyer Matthew Laba after she was convicted of animal cruelty. Picture: Ashleigh Tullis

Manousis said the mass on the jaw had been present for about a year.

On January 31, Manousis had attended a Blakehurst vet where Felicia was given pain relief medication to last 75 days.

On Thursday May 19, Manousis said she was trying to trim matts off the cat’s coat and accidentally cut the skin and presented it to the vet for treatment, documents state.

The vet tendered to the wound but couldn’t clip the coat, recommending she be humanely euthanised.

Manousis asked for a few days to say goodbye and the vet insisted an appointment be booked by the following Monday, “otherwise it becomes a cruelty case”. Manousis did not return to the vet or answer phone calls.

An RSPCA vet noted the cat had a cancerous mass making her “grossly deformed”, was mildly anaemic, dehydrated and had a cyst on her neck.

An x-ray of Felicia the cat.

The inspector spoke to Manousis on the phone in May where she said “I didn’t know the cat was suffering, it was still eating, drinking, walking around, head bumping and asking to live”.

In court, Manousis’ lawyer Matthew Laba said photos of the cat showed she was clearly suffering pain but noted Manousis was under strict instructions from a professional vet.

Mr Laba said receipts showed his client had spent thousands of dollars on the cat, kept up-to-date on vaccinations, had taken her to the vet on multiple occasions and given her daily medication.

He said the reason Manousis did not return to the vet as arranged was so her sister, who lived an hour and half away, wanted to see the cat before she was euthanised and could not come before Monday.

“She was selfish in the circumstances and knows she should have communicated with the vet,” Mr Laba said. “This wasn’t a cat who was neglected, she was cherished.”

He noted the period of cruelty was over a 24 hours when she did not call the vet back, adding Manousis understood the seriousness of the charge and showed true remorse.

A police prosecutor submitted the case was a “serious example” of the offence, noting the cat was sick and deformed.

The court heard Manousis was not known to the RSPCA, had no prior criminal history and cared for her elderly father,

Manousis gave evidence she wanted a further explanation about how the euthanasia would affect the cat but conceded she there was no concrete plan for her sister to visit Felicia.

She said it was “stupid” to not return the vet’s calls but said she had intended to make a booking.

Magistrate Jennifer Atkinson said people needed to appreciate animals were vulnerable and dependent on their owners to look after them.

She said she understood it was difficult to see a pet die because they became part of the family.

“There was a clear indication the cat needed to be euthanised,” she said, adding it was clear the cat was in pain.

Magistrate Atkinson accepted she had cared for the animal over time but convicted her of the offence.

She made an order for Manousis to not purchase, acquire, take possession or custody of an animal for five years and was fined $1500 and ordered another $799 for RSPCA costs to euthanise the cat and $102 in RSPCA legal costs.