Pa. woman convicted of animal cruelty for piercing kittens gets 6 months of house arrest

Pa. woman gets house arrest for piercing kittens

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — A northeastern Pennsylvania woman convicted of animal cruelty for marketing “gothic kittens” with ear and neck piercings has been sentenced to six months of house arrest.

Luzerne County Judge Tina Polachek Gartley also ordered 35-year-old Holly Crawford of Ross Township to close her dog grooming business for more than two years.

Gartley allowed her to keep her pets, which include a dog, three cats and three snakes.

A jury convicted Crawford in February of animal cruelty. Prosecutors alleged that Crawford pierced three black kittens because “she thought it was neat” to sell gothic kittens on the Internet. Defense attorneys argued that parents allow children to get pierced ears at young ages, and it would be wrong to hold cat owners to a higher standard.