wolf63 - "It said in earlier articles that she was mentally ill. That is no excuse for behaving in such a way."
It's not an excuse, but it is a reason, which is not the same thing.
This woman may be subject to periodic bouts of psychosis, when her behaviour is dicated by a temporary absence of the ability to judge right from wrong.
I would not wish to diminish the suffering of the poor kiten, but let's not be quite so quick to assume that this woman is simply a heartless sadist, there is clearly more to this than the initial report advises.