Three men and two women – all from Béarn – were tried this Thursday, June 27 in Pau for kitten trafficking that took place between 2019 and 2021 in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Around 300 cats were allegedly sold to individuals via a well-known classifieds site. The transactions were made in cash for a sum of between 200 and 400 euros per animal. Several of the felines eventually fell ill, causing significant expenses for the owners. At least two cats died.
At the helm, the main traffic organizer speaks calmly. He admits to having usurped the identities of several companies. “On the site, I needed to create a professional account to sell the cats. The Siret number was useful for this. But it wasn’t to promote cats. » And yet. Some of the usurped names could suggest an activity linked to the sale of animals. Several individuals said they were reassured after verifying that the company really existed. The cats were described as Siamese, Persian, etc. “type”.
“I made it clear on the phone that the cats were neither microchipped nor vaccinated,” says the 51-year-old defendant. This is not what emerged from the hearings of the civil parties. Where did the cats come from? They were collected outside the department by the fifty-year-old or his accomplices. “The farmers where I found the cats say that the animal is weaned when it does its business alone.”
In the event of a problem, individuals had no one to turn to. The telephone line used for the transaction was cut. “I didn’t want to do after-sales service,” admits the Pau native.
The latter had already been convicted of animal trafficking. “It was my ex-partner’s business. She had used my checkbook and I was convicted of complicity,” delays the fifty-year-old.
“To give to my daughters”
Alongside him, two other men are also on trial. “I would go and get kittens that I had spotted in classified ads,” admits a 36-year-old defendant. “We always had to wait until the cat was weaned. Sometimes we got it for free, but from time to time I would pay 60 or 80 euros. I said it was to give to my daughters.”
The same explanation was given by a 57-year-old from Oloron, a thirty-year-old friend of the traffic organizer. After being confined to recovering cats, he emancipates himself. “I was unemployed after my divorce,” explains the defendant who had launched his own traffic. He turned to his neighbor and then his new partner to create the ads. Both were equally judged.
The only civil party having made the trip, a lady arrived from Seine-et-Marne. She had seen the identity of her cattery stolen in the context of trafficking. “I think it’s a shame,” says the civil party, holding up an announcement published by the defendants. “The kitten doesn’t even have its eyes open even though the law says that they can be sold from three months old. » The professional reminds that “it is obligatory to have a veterinary certificate before being able to sell a cat between individuals. »
At the end of the hearing, the organizer of the trafficking assured that he would not do it again, “because it is hard to do and illegal”. The public prosecutor requested a two-year prison sentence for him, including one year of suspended probation. Twelve months of suspended probation are requested for the other two defendants. The fines requested range from 1,000 to 2,000 euros. Fines and community service have been requested for the two women. The verdict will be delivered on September 5.
