A kitten crushed in a sofa’s reclining mechanism was left in agony for almost 20 hours after its owner failed to get help, a court heard yesterday.

The animal, which had a broken spine, pelvis and back legs, had to be put down when Stacey Ross finally took it to a vet.

Nigel Monaghan, prosecuting for the RSPCA, told Bradford and Keighley Magistrates Court: “The kitten had been effectively squashed under a settee mechanism. The vet described the injuries as horrific. It screamed with pain when touched.”

Ross, 25, of Greenhead Lane, Keighley, had previously admitted causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.

She was jailed for 28 days, with a further seven days for failing to surrender to the court, and disqualified from keeping any animal for five years.

The court heard the kitten was injured while two other people in the house were messing about.

Ross was asleep but was woken up and told what had happened but took no action.