Four legged friends (and enemies): cat

Showing posts with label cat. Show all posts

Sunday, April 1, 2018

Missouri: Cat survives Pit Bull attack, but loses his leg

MISSOURI -- ‎Star Abbey Stout‎ posted on Facebook to I Love Papillons, March 22, 2018 at 1:33pm · Fenton, MO ·

Zoe loves her brother, Frodo, who is a kitty. When he was recently attacked by a pit bull she went with us everyday to visit him.

He spent a week in the ICU and had to have his leg amputated. Zoe is alongside him teaching him how to walk again 🐶😻

Friday, March 30, 2018

Rhode Island: Cat dies while being groomed at Petco in Providence

RHODE ISLAND -- A cat died while being groomed at Petco's University Heights location in Providence, Eyewitness News has learned.

A Facebook post by a relative of the pet's owner said the office cat, named Cloudy, suffered from potential hypothermia (or hyperthermia aka heat exhaustion) and died hours later after going into cardiac arrest at a local veterinary hospital.

Petco, University Heights

The post said Petco told the owner around 11:15 a.m. on Feb. 26 that Cloudy and another cat were being dried. By 1:30 p.m. Cloudy was being rushed to the vet, according to the post.

"I was horrified," said Maureen Sullivan, who saw the Facebook post and was one of dozens who shared it. "Not only was it horrific for you to take your beloved animal in for grooming and have that happen, I just can't even comprehend how that could happen and how a cat could almost freeze to death during a grooming."

In a statement to Eyewitness News last week, a Petco representative said, "All of us at Petco are deeply saddened by Cloudy's passing."

"The health and safety of pets is always our top priority and we take this situation very seriously," Petco's statement continued. "We take full responsibility for all animals in our care, and we're conducting a thorough investigation to understand everything we can about Cloudy's time with us. Our thoughts are with Cloudy's family during this very difficult time."

Rhode Island State Veterinarian Scott Marshall said he's skeptical the cat could have died from hypothermia, or low body temperature, in a facility where the temperature is comfortable for customers and workers. Although he said he does not know the specifics of the incident, he believes it's more likely the cat overheated while being dried.

"If the condition was hyperthermia, that could be more easily explained," Marshall said in an email. "Overheating in a grooming facility has been reported as a cause of death for animals. Typically, this happens when a dryer is attached to the cage the animal is kept in."

Marshall said cats and dogs don't sweat the way humans do, and can succumb in a matter of minutes if the temperature is hot enough.

"Normally cats have a temperature around 101 (100-102), anything above 103 is high and anything over 105 can be life threatening," he said. "This can happen from application of a hair dryer."

Eyewitness News reached out to Petco on Friday for an update on the investigation into the animal's death, but did not immediately hear back.

Officials at the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RISPCA) said they were alerted of Cloudy's death and conducted their own investigation, but found no criminal wrongdoing. RISPCA said the cat's owners did not want to have a necropsy performed.

Cloudy is the third Rhode Island animal to die while being groomed in the past year, according to RISPCA. Last March, a 5-year-old Pug named Ollie died while being groomed at the Petco in Middletown. Another dog died last year at a groomer in Warren after it hanged itself while tethered to a grooming table, according to RISPCA.

Currently, local grooming facilities do not need to be licensed by the state, but a bill introduced by House Majority Leader Joe Shekarchi seeks to change that.

The proposal would require groomers and grooming facilities to pay an annual fee of $25 to register with the state. The bill would also require them to obtain certification based on standards approved by the Rhode Island Professional Pet Groomers' Association. Shekarchi, a Warwick Democrat, introduced a similar bill in 2013 and 2017, but it was held for further study.

"There were a lot of people who thought I was trying to add a new licensing requirement or regulation on small businesses and that was not the intent," said Shekarchi, who told Eyewitness News the bill has been completely re-written this session. He said the goal is to have groomers go through some sort of training, whether it be online, an apprenticeship or a formal course. He said he knows the vast majority of groomers are competent and caring people, but he feels there needs to be a formal standard.

"Anybody can hold themselves out there as a groomer," said Joe Warzycha, director of operations at the RISPCA. "I can say tomorrow I'm a groomer and operate out of my basement."

Warzycha, a former animal cruelty officer, is in favor of training and licensing for individual groomers.

"The issues we're having are not necessary about the facility," he said. "It's more about the level of care that is or is not being provided to the animals while they're there."

Petco said its workers "follow very clear policies and procedures in our grooming salons to ensure accountability, safety and satisfaction for our grooming partners, pet parents and the pets in our care, and we take pride in having the highest standards of animal care and safety in the industry."

Petco said it grooms millions of pets each year, and "the total number of these incidents make up less than a fraction of a fraction of a percent - but even that is unacceptable to us." The company said it works with outside experts to implement best practices.

"Accidents happen," Warzycha said. "And as unfortunate as they are - and I certainly don't mean to downplay the significance of any of these issues - there are a lot of reputable groomers out there. Like anything else, do your research. And I think that part is where licensing could possibly be a benefit."

(WPRI 12 Eyewitness News - March 16, 2018)

PETSMART horror stories:

Other pet store/grooming store business horror stories:

In the video, it appears that she punches
the dog several times when it
innocently it pulls its paw away from her.

Monday, March 12, 2018

Arizona: Two Huskies get loose, go on rampage in neighborhood attacking and killing every pet they can catch. Animal Control hands them back to their owner

ARIZONA -- Two Siberian Huskies who attacked three dogs and a cat Monday morning, killing three of them, were released to their owner overnight until town attorneys were sure they had standing to seize them.

Sahuarita Animal Control Officer Andrew Vargas seized the dogs around 2 p.m. Tuesday after he was given the OK, Sahuarita Police Lt. Sam Almodova said.

Sahuarita police received a call about 9:40 a.m. Monday about two Siberian Huskies running wild and jumping into backyards in the 14000 block of Camino El Foso in central Rancho Sahuarita, Almodova said.

“Once the officers and animal control officer got in the area, a resident flagged them down and said the dogs were in his backyard,” Almodova said. “The dogs were friendly toward our animal control officer and they were able to be captured.”

This means they're extremely animal aggressive with an inherent prey drive that cannot be 'fixed'. There are many dogs, including Pit Bulls, that don't necessarily select humans to attack but if they get in the way of them trying to kill another animal, that human will also be attacked. Their desire to attack and kill overrides anything any owner can do - except never let it around other animals. Most owners are too lazy to ensure the safety of others.

A short time later, Almodova said police received another call indicating two poodles and a cat had been attacked and killed earlier.

Officers determined the Huskies were responsible for jumping into other people's fenced yards, chasing, attacking and killing the animals.

Demetrius Kavathas, 30, was cited on two counts each of Prohibited Acts for the bites, vaccinations required, license required and dogs at large, police said.

The dogs were taken to the Humane Society of Southern Arizona on Monday then released to an owner before the end of the day, Almodova said.

When property is seized, the town wants to ensure they are on solid legal footing, so the decision was made to allow the Huskies’ owner to retrieve the dogs while attorneys reviewed the case, Almodova said.

“This was the first incident we’ve had in town (under new policies) and it’s taken a while to make sure no one’s rights were being violated and that we’ve done everything correctly,” Almodova said Tuesday afternoon.

Babies and Huskies do NOT mix

Sahuarita signed a three-year contract with the Humane Society of Southern Arizona last year to shelter animals, and hired Vargas as the town’s first animal control officer. It severed ties with Pima County last May, citing soaring costs.

A hearing to determine the dogs’ fate will be held before the town magistrate in coming days, Almodova said. The owner can pay a bond of $500 for each dog to retrieve them before that.

WHY AREN'T THEY BEING EUTHANIZED???

On Monday, Kavathas had to have the dogs vaccinated and licensed to keep them, the lieutenant said.

A woman who answered the door at the Kavathas home declined to speak with a reporter Tuesday morning.

Likely, the "woman who answered the door" is Adrianna Kavathas, wife and co-owner of the killer dogs.

Hearing screams

Nadia Pischanski was sound asleep when she was awakened by her mother’s screams on Monday.

She discovered two Siberian Huskies in her backyard on Camino El Foso. The dogs were on either side of her dog, Tigre, tugging on the Chow/Husky mix’s ears, she said.

Pischanski grabbed a broom and joined her mom in screaming at the dogs. The dogs would retreat for a few seconds only to return to harass Tigre, who is 14.

“We kept protecting our dog,” Pischanski said. “We’d take turns yelling at them. My mom protected him while I called 911.”

Eventually, the dogs wandered out of her view, she said. She soon overheard a neighbor speaking to police. After several minutes, she flagged down the officers as they were leaving to tell them her dog had been injured. Tigre had a puncture wound on his head.

On Tuesday morning, Pischanski said Tigre appeared exhausted from the ordeal.

“He can barely walk,” she said.

While speaking with the officers, Pischanski said she learned the Huskies are suspected of killing the poodles and a cat.

“When I went to bed (Monday night) I could hear horrible noises, but I thought my dog had killed a bird,” she said. “I didn’t go out because I didn’t want to see that.”

(Sahuarita Sun - March 6, 2018)

Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Florida: Woman pushing to change laws after owner of dogs which attacked and mauled her Yorkiepoo to death is fined just $27.50 - and allowed to keep his killer dogs

FLORIDA -- Seminole County officials seek to strengthen penalties against people whose aggressive pets attack other animals.

A Casselberry woman, whose dog was killed last year by unleashed dogs, said she welcomes the proposed changes to the current penalty, which is less than $30.

Donna Syracuse said she still thinks of the Sunday evening in November, when two large dogs charged at her 7-pound Yorkipoo, Reese.

"The pain of it -- it's just like a hole in my heart," she said. "The one just came at Reese and grabbed her and shook her and just kept shaking her. At one point, I went to grab Reese and she bit me."

The injured dog died on the way to an animal clinic.

"I still cry when I look at her pictures. She was my constant companion," Syracuse said. "She was full of love and full of life."

Syracuse said the punishment for the dogs' owner was also devastating.

"It was almost embarrassing," she said. "I mean, for a first offense, it was $27.50."

She and her wife joined their neighbors in launching an online petition, which caused Casselberry officials to meet with representatives from Seminole County Animal Services.

A plan for an ordinance proposal was created three months later. Seminole County officials received approval for a draft last week.

The county said that although it's still sorting out the specifics, it's committed to stiffening fines and penalties for irresponsible owners of aggressive pets who attack other pets.

Officials continue to study enforcement tactics in other counties to customize a plan for Seminole County.

"If her death was going to do anything, at least it would have some meaning -- that it would be able to hopefully prevent others from having to go through the pain that we had to go through and still go through," Syracuse said.

The city of Casselberry plans to hold a meeting Wednesday to discuss the proposal.

The county said it hopes to have the proposal ready by the end of March.

(WFTV - March 6, 2018)

Earlier:

Florida: After their small dog is mauled to death, family starts petition to make city do something about vicious dogs

Sunday, March 4, 2018

Missouri: Kyle Williams, 18, and Jordan Hall, 19, are jailed for four years after posting a video of themselves laughing while killing a kitten by dragging it behind their car

** WARNING: There is a graphic photo of the cat at the end of this post **

MISSOURI -- Two Missouri men who sparked outrage by tying a kitten to a car's bumper and dragging it to its death were sentenced Friday to prison.

Kyle Williams, 18, also from Branson, was sentenced to four years for animal abuse and three years for armed criminal action, to be served consecutively after posting footage of his cat's death to Facebook.

Jordan Hall, 19, of Branson was also sentenced to four years behind bars for animal abuse.

According to the Taney County, Missouri prosecutor's office, Williams will also serve five years for 'possession of a weapon in a county jail, relating to the sharpening of a spork into a 'shank'.'

The two had plead guilty to animal abuse charges, after the horrifying incident.
It started last June when, according to court documents, a video was posted to a private Facebook group.

'Keep going. Don't stop. He's almost dead.'
The video shows a gold Jeep accelerating while people laugh and watch the kitten's plight, with one person filming the incident from the trunk.

The kitten's tiny legs couldn't keep up with the SUV, and after being dragged for several laps, the little animal lay dead on the asphalt.

"Dude, kill his ass," one person says in the video after the cat appears to lose strength and start bleeding.

At one point, the vehicle stops, and the people behind the camera discuss the "semi-alive" kitten's vitality and whether to "slam (the cat) into the ground, kill him."

"Should we put him out of his misery?" one person asks.

In response, the vehicle speeds up and the laughs start again.

Later in the video, the SUV stops and starts once more. A person in the trunk can be seen jerking on the rope so the kitten goes airborne and bounces off the pavement.

The kitten was in bad shape at the end of the video. Before the camera cuts off, one person continues jerking the rope to move the dying cat's head up and down like a macabre marionette.

"Shake your head for me if you're dead," the person says.

The video showing the torture death of the cat is nearly five minutes long.

According to the Kansas City Star, members of the group Cellulites: Salvation 'were furious after he allegedly posted a photo of himself next to the tortured, bloodied kitten, one eye popped out of its head, the newspaper reported.

The caption allegedly read, 'Try to guess how I killed my cat, bet you can't.'

Members of the private group then figured out who Williams was through his social media activity, and contacted police.

'He posted it in the wrong group,' one group member wrote. 'Animal cruelty is not okay.'

After the sentencing, Taney County prosecutor, Jeff Merell thanked the people who reported the crime, posting on Facebook.

He said: 'We are satisfied with the sentences handed down today by the Judge for this senseless act of depravity against a helpless kitten. We appreciate the help of good Samaritans in our digital community in reporting this crime as it might have gone unpunished without their assistance.'

(Daily Mail - March 4, 2018)

Earlier: