A distraught couple are seeking compensation after their beloved kitten was severely injured after becoming trapped in the moving parts of a new sofa, purchased from Harvey Norman.
In a letter to the retail company, supplied to Newshub, the Rolleston woman claims the mechanical parts of the reclining couch - owned by the couple for roughly a month - were not adequately guarded, making the product unsafe for small animals or babies who may crawl under the furniture.
On the morning of July 20, the woman and her partner heard their five-month-old kitten, Luka, begin to cry from underneath the couch.
"My partner went over to the couch to look at what was happening. He could see Luka was trapped in between the moving parts of our new [couch]," the woman wrote in the letter.
"Our kitten [had become] stuck between the exposed moving parts of the couch, which has no protective covers to prevent accidents.
"My partner and I became very distressed by the site of our loved kitten trapped in the couch. We attempted to free him from the couch by using the control buttons, and had some luck getting his body out."
The woman claims the left side of Luka's body and his tail were trapped in the sofa's mechanical parts, leading to a deep gouge in the kitten's tail.
After making a round of phone calls the local vet agreed to help. After about an hour the vet arrived at the couple's home and sedated the kitten, managing to free him from the couch.
It was later revealed that Luka would require half of his tail to be amputated, the woman claims, as well as two different surgeries.
The total bill came to roughly $5000.
"We are horrified with the poor design of the couch, which caused this accident to happen," the woman wrote.
"[It has] traumatised our kitten, my partner and myself. If the couch mechanism had been guarded, our kitten would have not gained access to the mechanics of the couch and would not have been injured.
"Luka's recovery is estimated to take six to eight weeks where he will need to be confined to a crate to limit his movement. Meaning that he will miss out on playing, cuddles and being a kitten."
Luka's injuries and subsequent surgeries may also have long-term impacts on his health.
The couple are now seeking reimbursement for the costly vet bill and "compassionate compensation" for their distress, as well as Harvey Norman's acknowledgement that the couch - the 'Gaucho 3 Seater Powered Fabric Recliner Sofa' - had a design fault.
"We feel what we are asking for is reasonable considering the injuries to Luka would not have happened if the couch had been guarded," the woman said.
In a statement to Newshub on Friday, Harvey Norman said they had refunded the price of the couch as a "gesture of good faith".
"Harvey Norman was saddened to hear of the injuries to [the] kitten which occurred when a user activated the reclining mechanism on the Gaucho 3 Seater Powered Fabric Recliner Sofa and the kitten had managed to place itself in a precarious position," said a spokesperson.
"We must stress that the Sofa does not breach any standards and Harvey Norman has not committed any wrong. It is difficult to predict what an animal may do, and accidents may, unfortunately, happen with many products that are sold.
"Harvey Norman has been very cooperative with [the couple] over this incident and, as a gesture of good faith, we arranged for the collection of the Sofa and refunded the purchase price.
"Many sofas utilizing this mechanism are sold in Australasia (and worldwide), and this is the first time we are aware of such an incident occurring."
Speaking to Newshub, the woman confirmed the retail company had refunded the price of the couch, but said she and her partner are still seeking the reimbursement of their vet bill as well as compassionate compensation. She said they plan to take legal action.
The couple have since set up a Give A Little page to help recover the costs of Luka's veterinary treatment, which is pending moderation.
