Camille Rose Kelly: Geraldton woman fined after leaving kitten alone in unit for two weeks without food, water

A Geraldton woman has been fined $2500 and banned from owning animals for two years after she left a kitten locked inside her Geraldton unit without food or water for up to two weeks. The animal cruelty case against Camille Rose Kelly, 37, was dealt with in the Geraldton Magistrates Court on Thursday. The incident was reported to the RSPCA on June 13 last year, when an inspector went to the Karloo unit and saw the kitten, who appeared to be about 14 weeks old, poking her head through gaps in the front door’s security screen and meowing loudly. Noticing the kitten looked underweight, the inspector provided her with fresh water and food, which the kitten ate hungrily. After several attempts to contact Kelly via phone, the inspector obtained a warrant to enter the address, which he did with the help of a locksmith. When inside, he noted it looked like no one lived at the unit and there was no food or water available for the kitten. The inspector took the kitten to the nearby vet, where she was examined and found to be underweight. Now named Abby, the kitten remains in the care of the RSPCA and has made a full recovery. “‘It’s heartbreaking to think of Abby alone for so long, searching the house for food and water,” RSPCA WA inspector manager Kylie Green said. “So many things can go wrong when pets are left without proper care for long periods. Abby is lucky to be alive today and we’re extremely grateful to the person who reported her situation to RSPCA WA.” When going away pet owners are urged to arrange a pet sitter, book their pet into boarding or at least organise someone to check on them daily to ensure they have adequate food, water and company. Kelly was charged under the Animal Welfare Act 2002, and the court found she failed to provide the kitten with proper and sufficient food or water. This case is near identical to another Geraldton RSPCA prosecution, in which Jessica Robyn Callow left a 10-12 week old kitten in her Bluff Point unit without access to food and water for several days in January last year. An RSPCA inspector ended up rescuing that kitten too. To report any suspected animal cruelty call 1300 CRUELTY (1300 278 358) or online at rspcawa.org.au.