Witnesses said the dogs ran into the yard near Silver and 9th Street at about 8:30 a.m. and one dog ran off with the 17-year-old cat in its mouth, dropping her four blocks away when an Albuquerque cop blew his air horn.
The cat's name was Blanca. She should have died peacefully of old age and natural causes, maybe dreaming of a can of tuna. Instead her body was crushed in the jaws of the pitbull.
A veterinarian put her down to ease her suffering shortly after neighbors found her lying in the street and carried her back home.
"This cat was in her own yard," said neighbor Barbara Grothus. "She was in her own yard minding her own business. They came into her yard and attacked her."
One of the pitbulls ran through the neighborhood with a dogcatcher in pursuit, while neighbors wondered what - or who - is next.
"Dog and cat owners have to be responsible," said Grothus. "If dogs are roaming unattended in packs, two dogs together, they're dangerous. We need to make sure those dogs are locked up so they can't be out attacking people, dogs, cats, on the street."
One of the dogs is in custody. The other is on the loose. Witnesses said that one is the actual killer.
At 17, Blanca had a long happy life. She was 88 in cat years. [Too bad the end of her life included being snatched out of her own yard, having her spine and insides crushed, suffering horrific pain and terror before finally being put out of her misery.]
(KOB - July 18, 2012)
