CAT ABUSE CONCERNS Residents in One Neighborhood Say Cats Stolen, Abused, Killed
Reported by: Deborah Linz
Videographer: John Tincher
Web Producer: Deborah Linz
Reported: Nov. 19, 2012 3:59 PM EST
Updated: Nov. 20, 2012 9:26 AM EST
EYEWITNESS ONLINE WEBCAST VIDEO C L I C K T O P L A Y
Point Pleasant
, Mason County
, West Virginia
There is concern in one Point Pleasant neighborhood that cats are being stolen, tortured and killed.
A constituent called a local councilman, claiming dead cats were being dumped into the Ohio River and that it appeared the animals had been tortured.
Two separate incidents were reported to the Point Pleasant Register. Both animals were apparently family pets and had had their back legs bound with duct tape. They also appeared wounded and looked like they had been attacked and soaked in water. Linda Ealey takes care of several cats and said she has witnessed the abuse firsthand.
"When I was away one time, someone killed a cat and left it over there. It was all swollen, so I think they gave him poison,” Ealey said. “And my cousin's cat was 15 years old and someone put duct tape on it."
Point Pleasant police said they did not find any dead cats along the river and have only received one report of cat abuse in the last two months, but said they will investigate if they get any more complaints. In West Virginia, animal abuse is felony. If convicted, a person faces a maximum of five years in jail and a $5,000 fine.
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Deborah Linz
