Laura Cunliffe has been sentenced to 14 weeks in jail for causing unnecessary suffering to an animal (Picture: Caters) 
 
 A woman who subjected her pet cat to a horrendous death in a microwave because she thought it had attacked her goldfish has been sentenced to 14 weeks in jail. 
 
 Laura Cunliffe put four-month-old kitten Mowgli into the appliance and turned it on for five minutes. 
 
 The cat initially survived despite having its internal organs cooked, but died 90 minutes later. 
 
 Described as ‘an act of utterly horrendous cruelty’ by district judge John Foster, the black and white cat died a slow and painful death. 
 
 The 23-year-old from Hoyland, near Barnsley, pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to an animal before being sentenced today. 
 
 She has also been banned from keeping animals for life and told she cannot appeal this ban for at least five years. 
 
 Alan Greaves, defending, said Cunliffe had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act 20 times and had longstanding problems with psychotic depression. 
 
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 As she was being sent down a member of the public gallery, who was thought to be one of Cunliffe’s relatives, shouted: ‘She doesn’t know what’s happening – she hasn’t a clue.’ 
 
 An RSPCA spokeswoman said: ‘This was such a sad case and clearly this poor kitten would have suffered terribly over a prolonged period of time.’ ||||| A woman who killed her pet kitten by cooking it in a microwave because she thought it had attacked her goldfish has been jailed for 14 weeks. 
 
 Laura Cunliffe, 23, of Hoyland, near Barnsley, put black-and-white Mowgli into the microwave and turned it on for five minutes. 
 
 She was jailed at Barnsley Magistrates' Court after admitting causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. 
 
 District Judge John Foster said it was an "act of utterly horrendous cruelty". 
 
 The court heard Cunliffe put the kitten into the microwave and switched it on but took the animal out about a minute later when she realised what she had done. The kitten died later. 
 
 'Suffered terribly' 
 
 Her solicitor, Alan Greaves, said Cunliffe had longstanding problems with psychotic depression and had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act 20 times. 
 
 As she was sentenced a family member shouted from the public gallery: "She doesn't know what's happening - she hasn't a clue." 
 
 Another shouted: "This is a failure of medical services, judge." 
 
 Mr Foster told the defendant: "This was an act of utterly horrendous cruelty on your part on an animal that, as far as I could see, had come to trust you and rely on you." 
 
 Cunliffe was banned from keeping animals for life and was told she cannot apply to have this ban reviewed for five years. 
 
 An RSPCA spokeswoman said: "This was such a sad case and clearly this poor kitten would have suffered terribly over a prolonged period of time. 
 
 "Sentencing is a matter for the courts but we hope this means other animals will not have to suffer in the future in this way."
– A court case out of England is pretty awful on all fronts: A judge sentenced a 23-year-old woman to 14 weeks in jail because she put her kitten in the microwave as punishment, reports the BBC. The 4-month-old cat initially survived the minute-long ordeal but died what vets said was probably a terrible death within two hours, reports Metro. And what did it do to deserve the punishment? The cat's owner, Laura Cunliffe, found her goldfish on the kitchen floor in pieces. "This was an act of utterly horrendous cruelty on your part on an animal that, as far as I could see, had come to trust you and rely on you," said the judge in Barnsley. What's worse is that Cunliffe has a history of "psychotic depression," and a family member shouted, "She hasn't a clue," as she was being led away. Cunliffe set the microwave for 5 minutes but realized her mistake after a minute, removed the cat, and tried unsuccessfully to cool it down with water, reports the Irish Independent. The judge banned her from having pets for the rest of her life.