Dog, Duct-Taped Cat Found Inside Storage Unit, Owner Gets 15-Year Ownership Ban

A woman from Calgary, Canada, was fined and banned from owning or caring for animals for 15 years after she left her dog and cat in inhumane conditions in a plastic bin inside a storage unit. Local media reports said Monday that the woman, who was convicted of Animal Protection Act offenses, left the animals dehydrated and confined them.

Samantha Zychowski, who was 21 at the time of the incident, was found guilty of animal cruelty charges stemming from the Jan. 6, 2017 incident, the Calgary Humane Society (CHS) reported.

On the day of the incident, a worker at a storage facility in southeast Calgary heard animal cries coming from one of the units, said Brad Nichols, manager of the Calgary Humane Society’s cruelty investigations. When police arrived for inspection, they discovered a pit bull in a crate and a domestic shorthair cat stuffed in a box under some belongings. The head of the cat was wrapped with duct tape, officials said.​

Nichols called the incident “a case of extreme negligence... The intent to keep the cat quiet by duct taping its head was callous and extremely dangerous."

“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," he added.

A veterinarian treated the animals and said both were in distress because of dehydration. Following treatment, both animals were adopted out a few weeks later. In addition to Zychowski’s 15-year-ban of owning animals, she was also ordered to pay a $250 fine.

Animal welfare officials said they found evidence the cat struggled violently against the tape. The cat also suffered eye injuries from the duct tape.

“Fifteen years is significant and well above the average ban which is three to five years,” Nichols said of the sentencing Monday, according to local media. “To be honest, the fine is low but that being said, fines are never really our priority . . . We’re after the protection of animals.”