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The owner of New Zealand's largest kennel and cattery has been charged with animal cruelty - but he claims he's the victim, not the animals he cares for.
Two cat owners returned from their holidays and claim their pets - Choco, a purebred Tonkinese, had a dislocated hip and a ginger cat called Basil was dehydrated - were injured in Sean Cleary's care.
Cleary, of the Patterdale Kennels and Cattery in Counties Manukau, is facing four charges of animal abuse by failing to take the pets to vets for treatment, an offence under the Animal Welfare Act.
Each charge carries a maximum fine of $25,000 or six months in prison.
Cleary told the Herald on Sunday he was the victim. The legal bill would top $20,000 and any negative publicity would put him out of business.
"I've been in this game for 20 years, no problems, but the SPCA is out to get me."
Cleary showed the Herald on Sunday around his family business last week and defended any suggestion of animal cruelty. He said Choco showed no signs of injuries while staying just after Christmas and could easily have had its hip dislocated after the owner picked it up. "A cat needs to be hit by something like a car for an injury like that to occur."
As for Basil, which has since died, Cleary said the cat was old and was later found to have a kidney disease.
Cleary also said the ginger cat had been living in a closet at home, pining for a lost mate.
Cleary said it was impossible for Basil to have lost the 3kg of weight claimed by the owner in only five days staying at Patterdale. "I'm the victim in all this. If an animal gets hurt here in my care, am I responsible for that? We're dealing with live animals here, they're unpredictable."
David Lloyd-Barker, of the SPCA, has laid the charges under the Animal Welfare Act but SPCA director Bob Kerridge declined to comment as the case was before the courts.
