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Frankfurt / Main (dpa / lhe) - Shots from an air rifle at a cat are not yet a criminal animal cruelty in the opinion of the Frankfurt Regional Court. A 52-year-old man from Eppstein (Main-Taunus-Kreis) was therefore only admitted on Wednesday for property damage sentenced to a fine of 1950 euros (30 daily rates).
In the first instance he had received a fine of 16,100 euros (70 daily rates) from the district court for cruelty to animals.
An X-ray examination found a bullet from the defendant's air rifle in the body of the man's neighbor. The man was in a kind of constant quarrel with the woman about their animals. According to a veterinary report, a shot from an air rifle only represents a “slight to moderate impairment” to the animal. For a conviction for animal cruelty, however, “considerable pain” would have to be present, according to the verdict. The verdict is not yet legally binding.