A Wellington man was banned from ever having a pet again after animal welfare inspectors found his untreated cat with parts of its face ripped off.
Lindsay Ward of suburban Strathmore pleaded guilty today in Wellington District Court to ill-treating an animal and received a lifetime ban on ever owning a "companion animal".
On January 16, inspectors from the Society for the Prevention of Animals (SPCA) responded to a complaint from a member of the public about Ward's cat.
They found the man's cat missing its nose and parts of its jaw, having trouble breathing and was very thin, Inspector Brett Lahman said.
Ward told Mr Lahman his pet of 10 years had come home about three weeks before, missing its nose and jaw.
"To be honest, I was surprised the cat was even alive," he said.
The inspector took the cat to the vet, who put it down.
Judge John Walker said he had absolutely no faith the convicted man could correctly care for another animal, after completely failing to care for his cat.
As well as the ban, Ward was ordered to pay Wellington SPCA $922.12 in costs, $250 in solicitor's fees and 150 hours community service.
