A middle-aged UK woman who was caught on camera dropping a cat into a wheelie bin is now under police protection.
Mary Bale has been named as the woman filmed on CCTV patting four-year-old cat Lola before grabbing it by the neck and dropping it in the bin in the central UK city of Coventry, the Daily Mail reported.
Ms Bale is now under police protection after hundreds of hate-filled messages were posted on YouTube and Facebook after the video went viral.
Her mother Celia has said that her daughter did not know "what had come over her" when she dropped the cat in the bin.
"She absolutely adores cats, she's an animal lover — it just doesn't make sense," she said.
"We're just hoping we can all get through this because I know a lot of people are not happy about it."
The cat stayed in the bin for 15 hours before it was discovered by its owner Darryl Mann.
The CCTV footage showing Ms Bale checking the street to see if anyone is watching before putting the cat in the bin was posted online to help identify the culprit.
Ms Bale has been interviewed by the RSPCA but is not facing any criminal charges.
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