CALIFORNIA -- When Jacksonville, Florida, resident Adam Arendell opened the door and let his cat, Camus, outside, he had no idea that he would never see her alive again.
Camus' body was found several days later lying in a nearby alley, burned almost beyond recognition. She had been doused with lighter fluid and set on fire.
The alleged perpetrator - a 14-year-old boy who was reportedly found with two severely injured cats in his backpack and who admitted to killing at least five other cats - told the police, "Killing a cat is like killing a sheet of paper. It is nothing to kill a cat."
Mr. Arendell probably thought he lived in a "nice" neighborhood, where people don't do things like setting helpless animals on fire. But cruelty and intolerance are not defined by ZIP code: Terrible things happen to stray, feral and "indoor-outdoor" cats every day.
PETA receives hundreds of reports of abuse every month. Many cats "disappear" and are never found - most, no doubt, victims of foul play.
During the past month alone, dozens of cats across the country were abused and/or killed by cruel humans, including some cats in Antioch, California; Jefferson, Ohio; and Houston, Texas, who were found suffering from severe burns after apparently being intentionally set on fire.
Unknown assailants armed with guns, arrows and even blow darts shot cats in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Washington. The remains of dismembered cats were found in El Paso and Houston, Texas, and in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Two cats in Dallas were found impaled on a fence, with the spikes protruding through their hind legs. One cat had to be euthanized because of the severity of the injuries, and the other cat escaped while being freed from the fence
Other cats are poisoned by intolerant neighbors who view them as "pests" and don't want them digging in their yards or climbing on their cars.
Cats in a Reeds Spring, Missouri, trailer park were found dead after residents received letters from an anonymous person urging them to set out antifreeze to kill free-roaming cats.
And still other cats are attacked and killed by wildlife, including a cat in North Carolina who was killed by coyotes in an attack witnessed by a horrified neighbor who described seeing the coyotes corral and kill the cat, taking turns grabbing and shaking the cat with their mouths.
In Palo Alto, California, coyote attacks are so common that animal control officials report picking up feline victims nearly every day.
Could your cat be the next victim? If you allow your cat to roam outdoors unsupervised, he or she certainly could be.
There's no question about it: Cats are safest and happiest living indoors. The average lifespan of an indoor cat is 12 years, versus just two to three years for cats who live outdoors. Not only are indoor cats safe from the dangers posed by two- and four-legged predators, they are also safe from traffic, and they're far less likely to contract deadly contagious diseases and parasites.
Local birds, bunnies and chipmunks breathe more easily as well when cats stay indoors: Every year, free-roaming cats terrorize, maim and kill billions of native birds and other small animals that aren't equipped to defend themselves against these non-native predators and are already struggling to survive because of human activity and population encroachment.
"Camus was a sweet and friendly cat; she was a part of our family and we'll forever regret not bringing her inside that day," Adam Arendell told a reporter.
Don't learn a hard lesson at your cat's expense. Keep your cat indoors.
(Merced Sun Star - Oct 22, 2014)
No comments:
Post a Comment