This story really pissed me off, and the pictures broke my heart...

Sunday, November 24, 2002
Kitten dies of injuries
Activists slam delay in animal cruelty bill
By HIMANI EDIRIWEERA, TORONTO SUN
Like any other kitten, she purred and liked having her tummy rubbed -- but Krista's tummy was burned and when she kneaded, she did it with a burned paw.

In a crime that's been called one of the most "heinous" by animal activists, Krista, the six-week-old burn victim, died yesterday of organ failure.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare is offering $2,500 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person who doused the kitten in gas, set it ablaze, and threw it from a moving car in Richmond Hill.

The kitten, weighing only one pound, was found curled up on the side of Devonsleigh Blvd. by Pamela Smith.

"She didn't seem so good, it started to show how much she had been through," Smith said last night of Krista's ordeal. "We cuddled and she purred and I told her we loved her and that she would be coming home soon."

'IT'S TRAGIC'

Details of the incident and the horrific images of the abused kitten led to a flood of calls -- from across the country and the United States -- to the Canyon Hill Animal Hospital with pledges of help.

The money will go toward the Krista Fund, which will assist in helping abused animals.

And in a cruel twist of fate, while Krista was struggling for her life, Canada's Senate was sitting on the animal cruelty provisions of Bill C-10.

"Here we are using a bill from when John. A Macdonald was prime minister," said Rob Sinclair of the IFAW. "I can't think of a single example of where someone has been adequately charged for abusing an animal -- it's tragic."

The bill, which addresses animal cruelty laws and the Firearms Act, has not been revised since its inception in 1892.
"This is the responsibility of the Senate. Let's make them morally responsible for the death of Krista," Sinclair said.

The revisions, if they are passed, would impose higher fines, lifetime bans, and longer prison terms. Currently, those convicted of animal cruelty face a maximum jail term of six months.

"If the laws are weak it's difficult to support this. Clearly society is not rating animal cruelty high enough," Smith said. "This person will go on to committing an even worse crime."

The IFAW is urging Canadians to join their campaign and call Senator Sharon Carstairs at 613-947-7123 to demand swift progress of Bill C-10.

Donations to the Krista Fund can be made by calling the animal clinic at 905-737-4506.

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