Woman So Angry At a Neighbour’s Cat, She Threw a Kitten Away Like a Baseball

Let me start with a bold claim: if you’re reading this, you like cats. Anyone using the internet has some kind of strange affinity with cats.

And I’m not just saying this just because there is a non-zero chance that the author of this article happens to be a cat.

(this may be why we never answer your emails)

Cats are so pawesome, they even saved an unfortunate hooman stuck outside her house.

I would go so far to say that hoomans and cats work so purrfectly together, that we should form a team of cathletes, purrhaps playing something like baseball.

Despite my wishes, I guess some people chose not to display sportsmanship and instead opt to break the rules of cat-baseball.

Woman threw cat at neighbour’s house

You can view the full video caught on CCTV at TheSun, though I haven’t managed to find a mirror on YouTube.

In the video, April Hawes, 38, can be seen walking, holding an 8-month-old Shadow, the name of the black tomcat. This happened after 8:00 a.m., at Dereham, Norfolk. It’s not quite clear on the dates, but it seems to be 1 March 2019.

She can then be heard saying ‘I’m going to knock her out.’, before posturing for a throw.

And actually threw the damn cat.

Shadow landed on the pavement and suffered soft tissue damage, and according to the owners, is now ‘nervous around woman’.

Not shown in the videos for some reason, but she can be heard screaming she hoped the owners could see this on CCTV.

Owners of Shadow are Kevin Yarham, 33, and Sophie Baker, 26.

She appeared at court later

Hawes later showed up at King’s Lynn magistrates, admitting to throwing the cat at her neighbour’s home.

It’s also not clear whether she did this voluntarily. Hawes was annoyed that the neighbour’s cats kept coming into her home. She did not wish to cause harm and was remorseful, as she told the court.

Hawes’ defending lawyer, Anne-Marie Sheridan, said she suffered post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Like many things in this case, it’s not clear if this PTSD is after or before the cat throwing.

She was ordered to complete a 12-month community order and 30 days of rehabilitation activity, and has to pay £85 (about SGD$150) in costs and a victim surcharge of £85.

Owners not happy

Obviously, if your neighbours came to throw your cat you would be quite unhappy too. The owner said, “April Hawes threw Shadow at the door not once but twice. She picked the cat up by the scruff of the neck an threw him violently twice. You can hear her shouting whilst she was doing it.

“Shadow was scenting near her house. Cats do what they do there and they are animals that explore and they’re free roaming. She just picked him up and threw him as he was scenting – I have no idea why she done this.

“Instead of talking to Sophie (the other owner) and sorting it out, she decided to take matters in her own hands an threw the cat twice. I heard a lot of shouting around outside and two massive bangs at the door within a minute.

“After breakfast I found Shadows collar had come off, I called him immediately and he came to me very shaken, I put him back in the house. I woke up Sophie she checked the CCTV footage an there was April throwing Shadow twice.

“Our children were both in the property at the time of the incident, they were both having breakfast while it happened.’

“I would describe the sentence as an insult to all animal owners it’s a disgrace and far too soft.

“It’s a insult to all the people who suffer PTSD, this is no excuse.

“And the fact she owns a cat after she has done this is shocking.

“Kings Lynn magistrates hold your head in shame.

“The sentence given was a disgrace not just for us but for all cat owners an animal lovers.

“It’s an embarrassment so much for tougher sentences for animal abuse, clearly the courts don’t care.

“‘Also people who PTSD would be disgusted she has given this as an excuse for her action an using this mental illness as a get out of jail free card.

“The sentence was very light. She doesn’t deserve an animal. And the kings magistrates are a joke hardly worth the police time.

“The whole community is disgusted.”

That’s a lot of things to be saying, but as always, I am a mere armchair detective, and especially with this case taking place in England, I would have no choice but to stay on my armchair.

Perhaps there is video evidence presented only to courts and not the media, explaining the lack of additional CCTV footage to support Kevin’s statements.

But still, don’t throw cats. They’re too cute. Just hug them even if they hit you.