Woman who left duct-taped cat, dehydrated dog in storage locker banned from owning animals

A Calgary woman has been fined and prohibited from owning animals for 15 years after a dehydrateddog and a cat with its head wrapped in duct tapewere found in a storage unit almost 2 years ago.

Samantha Zychowski, who was 21 at the time, was charged in January 2017 with causing animals to be in distress.

Storage facility staff had heard noises coming from the unit and cut its lock to find the dog and then the cat, which was inside a storage bin, according the Calgary Humane Society.

The cat's head had been wrapped in duct tape and had suffered corneal injuries, likely after struggling violently against the tape and the confines of the storage bin for a lengthy period.

Both animals were in distress from dehydration.

"This was a case of extreme negligence. The intent to keep the cat quiet by duct-taping its head was callous and extremely dangerous," said Brad Nichols, the society's senior manager of animal cruelty investigations.

"That the cat was found, let alone survived this incident buried under personal effects in a plastic bin, with its head taped, is incredibly fortunate. The outright ban on owning, caring for or residing with animals for 15 years is significant. My hope is that Ms. Zychowski's judgment improves significantly over that period."