Vile man left cat in 'excruciating pain' and with horror injuries after pouring boiling water over him

A man deliberately poured boiling water over his pet cat, leaving him in 'excruciating pain'.

Ashley Porter, from Oldham, has been banned from keeping animals for 10 years after inflicting the horrific burns on his cat Shadow. The 30-year-old tried to claim that his pet had hooked his tail around a boiling kettle which then fell on him, but a veterinary expert said evidence showed the injuries were caused by the water being deliberately poured on Shadow.

Shadow was left with horrendous burns on his head, neck, right shoulder and side of the chest after the incident in January 2020, while some of the claws on his feet had fallen off. He was left to suffer in pain for at least five days before he was rescued and taken to the vets, the RSPCA said.

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Manchester Magistrates' Court was told how the RSPCA were called to Porter's home in Shaw on January 19, 2020. A concerned member of the public reported that Shadow was suffering from serious injuries for a number of days and had not been to the vet.

There was no answer at the address so another RSPCA inspector phoned Porter, but he refused to hand over his cat despite confirming he was injured and 'in excruciating pain'. Porter said he would take Shadow to the vets the next day.

The following day, the RSPCA checked with Porter's vet and found out an appointment had not been made so two inspectors went back to his home. This time, Porter brought the cat to the door and agreed to hand him over for treatment.

Inspector Catherine Byrne said: "The poor cat had extensive untreated wounds across the whole of his body, and on his face and ears. It appeared to be raw scald wounds and was clearly