A campaigner calling for tougher sentences for those who abuse animals told MSPs how her family cat died after being subjected to a “stupid, brutal and cruel act”.
Olivia Robertson has brought a petition to Holyrood urging ministers to increase the punishments imposed for animal cruelty “to deter the crime and convey the seriousness of the offence”.
Ms Robertson, who says some 920 people have backed her call, said her cat had been put to sleep only last week after suffering severe injuries when he was “aggressively kicked”.
Under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006, those who are convicted of causing an animal unnecessary suffering or being involved in animal fighting can be jailed for a maximum of 12 months.
But in her petition Ms Robertson suggested that a 12-month sentence should be “a minimum, and not a maximum” for such cases.
She told MSPs on the Scottish Parliament’s Public Petitions Committee that a man who had taken someone’s dog and tied it to a tree before covering it in lighter fluid and then setting the animal alight received “only a nine-month prison sentence”.
The campaigner said that such incidents can be “devastating” for the owners as well as the wider community.
Ms Robertson added: “I experienced this first-hand last week when my family cat was aggressively kicked.
“He suffered a broken pelvis and lost functions of his bowels and urinary tract. We had to have put him down last Wednesday.
“To put it bluntly, my family was absolutely heartbroken and this was just caused by a stupid, brutal and cruel act.
“I’m sure if anything does happen to this person they will just receive a petty sentence whereas our family cat is gone forever from our lives and we can’t bring him back.”
She added: “Nobody in our community should have considered this an acceptable thing to do.”
The petition comes after figures from the Scottish SPCA showed a record 63 people were banned from keeping animals last year as a result of cruelty.
Fines amounting to more than £23,000 were given out in 2014, with 35 people sentenced to community service orders in the last 12 months.
But Ms Robertson said these figures “barely reflect” the overall number of cases of animal neglect, cruelty or abandonment.
She also told MSPs: “Psychological studies have revealed that violence to animals is a sign of deep mental disturbance.
“People who commit acts of cruelty to animals don’t stop there and many move on to humans.
“Too often, people who are convicted under this act are perceived as getting away with murder.
“In today’s society violence towards animals is on a par with violence to anyone and it shouldn’t be accepted.”
In Australia the maximum sentence that can be imposed is one of seven years’ imprisonment, Ms Robertson said, arguing this has “sent an appropriate message that the offence is indeed serious, it will not be tolerated and they will be held accountable for their actions”.
She called on the Scottish Government to amend the law to bring in tougher sentences for animal cruelty “to deter the crime and convey the seriousness of the offence”.
She said: “Anyone responsible for this loss of life needs to be appropriately dealt with, the courts need to recognise the seriousness of this offence and recognise the similarities between animals and vulnerable people.
“If someone causes suffering to an animal without much thought, what reassurance is there that they won’t continue to abuse a child or vulnerable person, who also may not have a voice or be able to defend themselves.”