Groomer who sold ‘gothic kittens’ online goes to trial in Pennsylvania

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WILKES-BARRE, Pa. -- A northeastern Pennsylvania woman is heading to trial on animal cruelty charges for marketing ‘gothic kittens’ with ear and neck piercings over the Internet.

Thirty-five-year-old dog groomer Holly Crawford is scheduled for trial Tuesday in Wilkes-Barre.

Prosecutors say she inflicted pain on the cats to make money. Attorneys for Crawford say she didn’t act maliciously.

Crawford’s home outside Wilkes-Barre was raided in December 2008 after the SPCA of Luzerne County received a tip that she was marketing the animals online for hundreds of dollars.

Crawford said she used sterilized needles and made sure the kittens were healing properly. She said she wasn’t trying to hurt them.

-- Associated Press

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Video: A Pennsylvania news organization’s report on the seizure of ‘gothic kittens’ from Crawford’s home in December 2008. Credit: timesleadervideo via YouTube