Kamloops resident Steven Seidel has been convicted on three counts of animal cruelty in a disturbing case involving a family pet, Oreo. BC SPCA investigators recommended the charges against Seidel after determining that he strangled the cat with his bare hands last June. The body of the deceased cat was found in a garbage dumpster behind the building where Seidel lived.

“It is so disturbing to think that an innocent animal would have suffered and died under such horrifying and unnecessary circumstances,” said Marcie Moriarty, chief prevention and enforcement officer for the BC SPCA. “While nothing can undo the suffering that Oreo endured, we are satisfied that justice will be served for this poor animal.”

Sentencing will be handed down in the case in two months, the judge said today. Seidel faces up to 18 months in jail and/or a $10,000 fine and could receive up to a lifetime ban on owning animals.

The British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a not-for-profit organization reliant on public donations. Our mission is to protect and enhance the quality of life for domestic, farm and wild animals in B.C.