Pierced-cat seller's cruelty conviction upheld

[June 15, 2011]  WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (AP) -- An appeals court has upheld the conviction of a northeastern Pennsylvania animal groomer who tried to sell kittens with pierced ears and necks and bobbed tails.

Animal welfare workers seized three kittens and a cat from 36-year-old Holly Crawford's Luzerne County home in 2008 after she marketed them as "gothic" online. Crawford served six months of house arrest and was ordered to close her grooming shop for at least two years as she completed probation.

The state Superior Court ruled Monday in Harrisburg that Crawford's animal-cruelty conviction will stand. Crawford had argued in her appeal that the state's animal cruelty law was unconstitutionally vague and that county prosecutors presented insufficient evidence to convict her.

[Associated Press]

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