Hyderabad: In a significant development from the animal welfare point of view, the Hyderabad Consumer Court has imposed a fine on a pet-selling business outlet for separating a newborn Persian cat from its mother leading to its death, officials said. It is learnt that the Hyderabad Consumer Court has imposed a fine of Rs 23,350, with 12% interest, compensation of Rs 10,000 and case costs of Rs 5,000 on Ammoo's Pets and Kennels to be paid to the plaintiff within 45 days.
The Consumer Court has found Ammoo's Pets and Kennels guilty of not only separating a day-old Persian cat from its mother, but also selling it without taking good care of it and causing its death. According to the complaint by one Amerapasha from the Greenlands Road area, he bought an orange Persian cat for Rs 12,000 from Ammoo's Pets and Kennel's shop in Banjara Hills, along with a bag of food for the cat, with the seller telling the age of the pet as two months.
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The complainant said when he reached home and offered the food to the cat, it refused to eat. When he called the staff at Ammoo's Pets and Kennels, they told him that the cat would take time to get used to the new area and suggested giving it another food to it from their shop. However, the suggestion did not work as the cat did not eat the new food either, the complainant said.
The complainant said on taking the cat to the veterinary clinic, the doctors said that the age of the cat was not two months as told by Ammoo's, but only 25 to 35 days. The doctors told the complainant that the cat was already suffering from fever and was affected by the virus due to her low weight. The pet died while undergoing treatment at the clinic. The aggrieved plaintiff approached the Hyderabad District Consumer Court. After submitting the videos and other evidence of the cat's condition, the court gave the verdict in favour of the complainant.
