‘Disgusting’ US woman who ate a cat gets one year in jail: ‘You’ve embarrassed this nation’

A woman in Ohio who killed and ate a cat has been sentenced to one year in jail after an angry judge hit out at her for the shocking, stomach-turning act.

“This is repulsive to me. I mean, that anyone would do this to an animal. And an animal’s like a child. I don’t know if you understand that or not. I can’t express the disappointment, shock, disgust that this crime has brought to me,” he told 27-year-old Allexis Ferrell, adding that she was “quite a danger” to the community.

The incident occurred in August amid widespread rumours about Haitian immigrants in Ohio’s Springfield eating local pets. Authorities have clarified that Ferrell is not an immigrant.

‘You’ve embarrassed this country’

Bodycam footage from police officers who reached Ferrell’s house on August 16 showed the disgusting and terrifying visuals of her sitting on all fours outdoors eating the cat as horrified neighbours looked on.

In the video, one of the policemen is seen asking, “What did you do? Why did you kill the cat?”

Reprimanding Ferrell, the judge called her a national embarrassment. “You’ve embarrassed this county. You’ve embarrassed this nation. More importantly, you’ve embarrassed yourself,” he said.

(Also read: Man pets a frightened baby cobra barehanded in hair-raising viral video)

‘One of the most disturbing cases’

Ferrell pleaded guilty to a felony charge of animal cruelty. Her one-year sentence will be added on to a separate 18-month sentence she is facing for two earlier crimes including a theft in 2019 and a child endangerment case from last year.

The prosecutor of the case called it “one of the most disturbing cases” she had ever seen.

Ferrell’s attorney, however, said that the shocking video proves that she had “an issue with drugs and alcohol, through her evaluation, through her past history.”

He added that he has arranged for her to undergo treatment for her issues after she is released from prison.