Iowa: Winnie, the cat thrown into a river to drown inside a duffel bag by William Hill, finds a new home

IOWA -- Winnie, a calico cat rescued after being thrown into the Winnebago River in a duffel bag last month (by William Nathan Hill) in Mason City, has found a new home.

Winnie’s story of survival made it all the way up to Ken Avery, who lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Avery lost his longtime feline companion to cancer in January and had been waiting for the right time to bring a new cat into his life, according to a news release from the Humane Society of North Iowa.

When he heard Winnie’s story, he knew the time was right.

Avery came to the Humane Society to meet Winnie last weekend.

“Winnie deserves a good home where she is safe and happy," Avery said. "I knew I could provide her that home."

Winnie’s story made headlines when a Mason City couple witnessed a man throwing a duffel bag into the river on March 21 near the bridge at South Kentucky Avenue and fished it out of the chilly waters. They discovered a live cat inside the wet bag.

The cat was brought out to the Mason City Stray Animal Shelter, co-located and managed by the Humane Society of North Iowa, and was given the name Winnie.

A few days later, William Hill of Mason City turned himself in and was charged with animal torture, a simple misdemeanor.

Avery returned to the Humane Society of North Iowa on Thursday to finalize Winnie’s adoption and take her home.

“We are so happy that Winnie is going home with Ken," said Sybil Soukup, executive director of the Humane Society of North Iowa. "She survived her horrific ordeal and is now getting a second chance at a happy ending."

(Globe Gazette - April 2, 2015)

Earlier:

• Iowa: Mason City police seek man who zipped cat inside duffel bag and then threw her into river to drown
• Iowa: Mason City man William Hill, 69, accused of throwing cat into river to drown