United States: What Happens When Cat Abuse Goes Viral?

UNITED STATES -- A teen was arrested for scalding a cat after the video blew up on Facebook. It will take more than angry comments to catch these monsters, though. Thankfully, law enforcement is getting serious about the problem.

Illinois: Leon Teague, 18, charged with pouring boiling
water on cat while his friend recorded it

On Feb. 2, an 18-year-old from Chicago’s south side Grand Crossing neighborhood posted a video to his Facebook page depicting himself boiling a pan of water, coaxing a friendly cat to his front door, then throwing the hot water on it, severely scalding the cat. The yowl of terror and pain the feline let out is blood curdling.

The perpetrator, Leon Teague, posted his video to his Facebook page under the pseudonym Glock Boy MurDoc. In posting the footage, he opened his act of animal abuse to public scrutiny. As is common to controversial social media content, reactions were vastly divided. Some liked the post and wrote joking comments, while others were horrified, irate, and disgusted.

Bringing an act of animal torture into the spotlight via social media incites a host of problems and questions.

Illinois: Trial set for Chazz Lindsey, 18, who is accused of
videotaping himself and his friends torturing kittens to death

What is so special about this particular case on feline abuse, when it happens daily without broadcast? Why does public dialog quickly devolve into negative assumptions, threats of violence, and racial slurs? Why is there no conscious awareness of right and wrong with these perpetrators, allowing them to not only commit calculated acts of abuse but also brag about it? Are those who are outraged overreacting to an animal many consider a nuisance? Why should we even care about a homeless, stray animal? Does rebuttal or expressing disgust on social media really make a difference?

California: San Jose accused cat killer Robert Farmer sexually
 abused at least one of the felines he tortured and killed

California: "Cats are his favorite animal" says aunt of Cody High, 24,
who's accused of nearly killing cat after taping its face and
legs and stuffing it inside a backpack

The upside of posting heinous criminal activity on Facebook is it allows viewers to anonymously report a criminal activity that goes largely unreported. The official police report (PDF) states upon visiting Teague’s home, officers recognized the apartment’s interior and his voice from the video, thus arresting him.

Awaiting arraignment today, if Teague is found guilty, he will have to serve one year mandatory up to five years in prison for a felony count of animal torture, and one misdemeanor count of cruelty depiction, as well as a fine up to $25,000.

Michigan: Battle Creek cat shot with crossbow

Texas: Herber Martinez, 23, tortured and killed
cat and hung it from a guardrail

But what makes this case any different than the thousands of other animal cruelty cases Chicago handles each year? If a tree falls in the forest and nobody hears it, does it make a sound? If a cat is tortured by someone lacking empathy and there’s no video or witness to prove it, does anyone care?
According to the ASPCA, there are an estimated 70 million stray, feral, and colony cats in the U.S.

Cat drags itself to a house and 'cries' for help after Russian thug
shoots it with an arrow and paralyzes its back legs

While cats are considered beloved pets by 35 percent of American households, that leaves 65 percent  indifferent about them or consider cats “useless,” explains Tree House Humane Society Director Jenny Schlueter. In speaking with The Daily Beast, she also explained many actually consider them a nuisance more along the lines of a city rat rather than our utilitarian canine companions. There are even veterinarians sworn to protect animals who brag about their murderous contempt for cats.

Cat torture, abuse, and neglect happens daily, not only in Chicago, but in every metropolitan area and small town alike. As Chicago Police Lt. John Garrido related to The Daily Beast, unreported criminal activity is one of the biggest obstacles to investigating and prosecuting cat cruelty cases. Where lack of empathy is not an issue, witnesses in high-crime neighborhoods are hesitant to call 911. CPD has a less than sterling rapport with its minority populations (look to the Laquan McDonald situation as an example of turbulent police-community relations), and residents do not want to cause waves by summoning the police to their block.

Maryland: Beloved cat named Sheldon shot and killed with bow and arrow

Connecticut: Cat SURVIVES after being impaled by thugs
who decided to use him for target practice

Others are weary of retaliation for “snitching,” so they turn a blind eye. And when citizens do call the police to report animal-related crime, it is more typically dog fighting, which hosts a myriad of other seedy activities: drugs, guns, gambling, and mass assembly of questionable types that affect people’s well-being, not because kittens are used as fight bait. As Garrido notes, police can only be as effective as the witnesses willing to come forward and report criminal activity.

New Jersey: Pregnant cat killed after being shot by arrows in Old Bridge

United Kingdom: Authorities looking for person who held
down girl's cat and shot an arrow into its head

“We take animal abuse reports very seriously. But we rely on community advocacy to help our efforts.”

There are over 70,000 calls to animal control annually in Chicago. But there are only four officers dedicated to investigating animal-cruelty cases. Garrido points out that Illinois has the the toughest laws on animal abuse (PDF). But even when a cat-abuse crime is reported and a criminal identified, a case cannot be prosecuted without a willing witness and undeniable proof.

With injured cats fleeing the scene of their trauma, there is literally no body of evidence, and thus no case. He is hopeful the stiffer penalties and the FBI’s new policy of adding felony-animal convictions to the National Incident-Based Reporting System will deter future acts of violent against animals.

But, the new FBI data collecting is simply a method of profiling convicts, not a system of punishment. It will be several years before we know its effectiveness.

Canada: Ten-month sentence for Zachary Allen McKinnon,19,
 for torturing, killing, cooking friend’s cat

Florida: Travis William Jaggers, 41, arrested after beating
his partner's cat to death with a hammer

Social media also play a crucial role in bringing awareness to cat cruelty, and helps constantly financially strapped no-kill rescue raise funds to further their rescue, rehabilitation, and education efforts. Chicago’s Felines and Canines has been posting updates on the abused cat they are now caring for and have named Driver.

United Kingdom: Soldier and his wife set attack dog free to
rip apart cat in front of horrified primary schoolchildren

Texas: 81 Year Old Man Arrested
on Animal Torture Charges

Executive Director Abby Smith notes that rescue sadly must rely on the publicity of these cases to engage the public and relieve Driver’s medical care costs—which are in the high thousands with IV medications, pain management, and laser treatments at a veterinarian hospital. Posting status updates keeps concerned followers engaged not only to this case, but the need for support to cure and prevent other cat abuses.

Michigan: Elderly woman's cat found shot with bow and arrow in Michigan

New York: Cat shot with crossbow survives; police searching for suspect

Oregon: Dead cat found on 'makeshift operating table'

It was also due to backlash of Teague’s arrest and his friends posting public threats to other neighborhood cats until Teague is released, that rescue Tree House Humane Society sprung into action to find, trap, spay, foster, and relocate as many other cats in the Grand Crossings area as possible. So far, they’ve found 19 felines with various signs and scars of abuse and illness, and they’re receiving daily calls from area residents who are now aware of their presence and rescue efforts. Not only has Facebook given offenders a platform to taunt animal lovers, it also provides a safe, anonymous vehicle to ask for help without police involvement.

Indiana: Animal control investigates burned cat

Washington: 16 year old boy charged with shooting
cat in head with bow and arrow

The anonymity of social media also empowers cyberbullies and trolls to destroy unity and compassion for animal abuse and rescue. For every person sharing a story of sympathy or sadness, there are twice as many posting videos of puppy tossing and cat torture as entertainment.

Ohio: Cat found burned, abused; 2nd case of Middletown animal abuse in week

Nevada: Elizabeth Bergland accused of beating,
strangling 2 cats to death

Iowa: Justin Jacoby, 36, strangled his
 cat and then drank its blood

Commentary also quickly devolves from civil to hateful and even racist, having nothing to do with the victim at hand, further diminishing the efforts of rescue and prevention. Commenters on NBC 5 Chicago’s Facebook page called Teague an “ape” and suggested he be boiled and jailed with white supremacists. Some in Teague’s community ask, “Who cares about this stupid cat when people are being shot in our neighborhood every day?” spinning an animal-abuse case into a social injustice battle cry.

New York: Judge's son caught in ladies bathroom preparing to
torture kittens to death. Dad insists, "He's a good kid."

Colorado: Man Accused Of Filming Torture And Murder Of Kitten

Canada: Cat shot with an arrow in Viking

Louisiana: Former mayor, Wilson Longanecker Jr., pleads guilty to
child porn and torturing cats to death

Tree House’s Schlueter was quick to point out the negativity and mythology of cats is not tied to any one ethnic group or socio-economic demographic. There are an equal number of cat lovers and cat haters in any given Chicago neighborhood.

Michigan: Authorities search for kids
who poured kerosene on cat

Florida: Toby Gaines, 14, charged with animal
cruelty for torturing and burning cats to death

She says the main difference may only be the type of cat abuse that happens—it could be violent activity in the under-served communities, feeding strays rat poison in upper-class neighborhoods, or severe hoarding and neglect in a middle-class home. Neither of the incendiary takes documented on Facebook have anything to do with the case at hand, nor bring awareness or solutions to handling the citiy’s stray cat issues.

Philippines: Shocking pictures show cat who was burned alive
and dumped in horrific case of animal cruelty

So we’re still at the point of asking “Why should we care about abuse that happens to a feral, ownerless cat? Why are we investing in pesky critters when there are human crimes to address?”

United Kingdom: Teenage thug LANCE ELGAR who kicked
 and burned a cat to death after downing a bottle of whisky
 walks free from court

In Massachusetts, when you kill a cat by cooking it to
death in a dryer, you get probation

Oklahoma: David Todd accused of torturing
his cat and swinging it "like a bowling ball"

Numerous studies cite animal abuse as the beginning of most violent offenders’ criminal legacy—particularly rapists, serial killers, and domestic abusers. With the toughest and most detailed animal-abuse laws of all 50 states (PDF), Illinois’ felony animal-abuse conviction requires a mandatory psychological evaluation and subsequent treatment. This offers a way to redirect felons and possibly address underlying sociopathic issues, preventing future abuse—to animals and humans.

Alabama: Ronald Golden Finds Cats On
Craigslist, Tortures and Kills Them

Working with verified nonprofit, no-kill rescues builds community togetherness, trust, and safety for witnesses of animal crimes and the victims. If the rescue has a TNR program, they may not eradicate all of the strays now, but spay/neuter does have a high success rate over time in lowering stray populations and kill rates in open access shelters.

Indiana: Residents say teens lit cat on fire and beat
 it to death, officials investigate

Michigan: Richard Bancroft arrested after
allegedly setting kittens on fire, breaking cat’s neck

In 1997, Chicago was cited as having the worst animal control kill rate, with 93 percent of its 28,000 animals euthanized. Through the tireless efforts of dozens of no-kill rescues and successful programs like Tree House’s Community Cats TNR and PAWS Chicago Community Outreach, there were 17,000 animals admitted to the city shelter, with only 27 percent never making it out. In 10 years, stray numbers were reduced by 10,000.

Animal cruelty is called a gateway crime. Steven Avery poured gasoline
on his cat and threw it into a fire to burn to death, but
200,000 are duped by a Netflix movie

Illinois: Sheldon Taulbee, who severed cat's head,
sexually abused minor sent to prison

Social media’s effect on efforts to further prevent cat abuse will never fade. But what if more people angered by these heinous acts volunteered more and spewed less bile online? What if more compassionate people reached out to under-served communities to educate people who’ve never been presented the basic idea of animal kindness nor offered non-violent solutions to their concerns? Not everyone has to start adoring cats, but they can at least build an understanding of respect for other living beings if encouraged. And we can stop using media as a tool for hatred and mistrust.

Oregon: This is what's wrong with our country: Rudy
Espinoza gets more jail time for having ecstasy pills
than for decapitating his mother's cat

Nevada: Rory White, 21, accused of torturing,
killing cat arrested

Connecticut: Carlos Trinidad, 30,
tortured his girlfriend's cat; told cops he
doesn't know what the big deal is

Schlueter is hopeful the attention this scalded cat case has generated can be turned into an opportunity for dialog about animal compassion and more confident community building across the divide.

(Daily Beast - Feb 18, 2016)