Three men and two women – all from Béarn – were put on trial in Pau on Thursday 27 June for the kitten trade, which took place between 2019 and 2021 in Pyrénées-Atlantiques. About 300 cats were allegedly sold to individuals through a popular classifieds website. The transactions were carried out in cash for a sum of between 200 and 400 euros per animals. Several of the felines eventually became ill, causing significant…
Three men and two women – all from Béarn – were put on trial in Pau on Thursday 27 June for the kitten trade, which took place between 2019 and 2021 in Pyrénées-Atlantiques. About 300 cats were allegedly sold to individuals through a popular classifieds website. The transactions were carried out in cash for a sum of between 200 and 400 euros per animals. Several of the cats eventually became ill, which resulted in significant expenses for the owners. At least two cats were dead.
At the helm, the main traffic organizer speaks calmly. He admits to having usurped the identity of several companies. “On the site I had to create a professional account to sell the cats. The Siret number was useful for this. But it was not for promoting cats. ” And still. Some of the usurped names could indicate an activity linked to the sale of animals. Several people said they were relieved after confirming the company really existed. The cats were described as Siamese, Persian, etc. “type”.
“I made it clear on the phone that the cats were neither chipped nor vaccinated,” assures the 51-year-old defendant. This is not what emerged from the hearings of the civil parties. Where did the cats come from? They were picked up outside the department by the fifty-year-old or his co-conspirators. “The farmers where I found the cats say that the animal is weaned when it goes about its business on its own.”
In case of problems, individuals had no one to turn to. The phone line used for the transaction was disconnected. “I didn’t want to do after-sales service,” admits the native of Pau.
The latter had already been convicted of animal trafficking. “It was my ex-partner’s business. She had used my checkbook and I was convicted of complicity,” the fifty-year-old delays.
“To Give to My Daughters”
Alongside him, two other men also stand trial. “I had to look for kittens that were seen in classified ads,” admits a 36-year-old defendant. You always had to wait until the cat was weaned. Sometimes we got it for free, but every now and then I paid 60 or 80 euros. I said it was a gift for my daughters. »
The same explanation was given by a 57-year-old from Oloron, a 30-year-old friend of the traffic organizer. After being confined to restoring cats, he frees himself. “I was unemployed after my divorce,” explains the defendant, who had started his own traffic. He approached his neighbor and then his new partner to create the ads. Both were rated equally.
The only bourgeois party who had made the trip arrived a lady from Seine-et-Marne. She had seen the identity of her cattery stolen in connection with human trafficking. “I think it’s a shame,” says the civil party, holding a statement released by the defendants. “The kitten doesn’t even have its eyes open, although the law says they can be sold from three months old. » The professional reminds that »it is mandatory to have a veterinary certificate before you can sell a cat between individuals. »
At the end of the hearing, the traffic organizer assured that he would not do it again “because it is difficult to do and illegal”. The public prosecutor requested a two-year sentence against him, of which one year was suspended. A 12-month suspension on probation is required against the other two defendants. The requested fines range from 1,000 to 2,000 euros. A judgment with daily fines and community service was requested against the two women. The decision will be made on September 5.
