Woman Tosses Cat Over Humane Society Fence

Cat TossedSource: © Shutterstock

Pet owners are usually shocked to hear stories of animal neglect, abandonment, and abuse. Even those who do not have animals themselves find such behavior abhorrent. While many of these incidents take place without anyone hearing of them, there are others that are so shocking that they hit the headlines. One such case was recently reported in 2 CBS Pittsburgh. They tell the story of a woman who threw her cat over the fence of the Central Pennsylvania Human Society in Altoona. The staff from the center are now appealing for witnesses and information about the woman and the cat.

They used social media to raise awareness of the incident and to tell the cat’s story. The post explained how a woman just tossed the cat over the fence. As if this was not shocking enough, there were two dogs outside in the yard at the time. Everyone knows that dogs and cats that do not know each other do not necessarily make the best of friends. The post went on to explain how the poor cat was so terrified that it was unable to move and was rooted to the spot. Fortunately, a member of staff from the center saw what happened and was able to rescue the cat and bring her into the shelter.

Although the member of staff saw the kitty flying over the fence and got outside quickly, they did not see the woman, so they are unable to identify the person responsible for this shocking behavior. Apparently, the woman took off straight away.  The unidentified cat is currently being cared for by the staff at the rescue center, despite the fact that they do not currently have room for her. A sign outside the shelter says that they are currently not taking in cats as they are overcrowded. At the time of the incident, they already had 246 cats in their care. Each of these cats needs rehousing in a forever home. They have also pinned a post to their Facebook page saying that they cannot accommodate any more cats.

Staff at the center are now asking members of the public to come forward if they saw the incident, they know the woman, or they have any information regarding the identity of the woman or the cat. They are hoping to get to the bottom of this matter quickly.  Shockingly, this is not the only case of a woman thinking that throwing a cat is acceptable behavior. In early July 2019, The Mirror reported the alarming case of a woman throwing two cats at her neighbor’s house in a fit of rage in Dereham, Norfolk.

36-year-old April Hawes threw the two cats nine meters towards her neighbor’s house because she had become so annoyed that they repeatedly entered her property. The whole incident was caught on CCTV as the homeowner had installed this technology prior to the incident. The images were made public, which caused alarm to many animal lovers. The woman appeared in court at the end of June 2019 charged with causing suffering to an animal, charges to which she pleaded guilty. In the evidence presented at court, it was described how both cats had suffered serious tissue damage and that they were traumatized by the incident. One of the cats, Shadow, was only a kitten when the assault took place and it is now a very nervous cat because of the incident. It was reported that the kitten was left screaming after the attack.

Despite the severity of her crime, Hawes did not receive a jail term for the offense. Instead, she was given a 12-month community order, including 30 days of rehabilitation activity. She was also ordered to pay £85 in court costs and a victim surcharge of £85. The leniency of her sentence shocked many pet owners.  In another shocking incident in the United Kingdom, a woman became infamous after heartlessly throwing a cat into a wheelie bin. The BBC covered the story of the incident, which took place back in 2010. Mary Bale was caught on CCTV casually throwing a four-year-old cat called Lola into the wheelie bin outside her owners’ home in Coventry.

Fortunately, the cat was rescued by her owner Darryl Mann, although the cat had been inside the wheelie bin for 15 hours by that point. It was Darryl Mann’s wife, Stephanie, who posted the images online as she was so shocked by the behavior.  When the images were made public, it caused shockwaves around the UK. There was even a Facebook page started that was calling for her death. However, Facebook officials later removed the page form the social media site.

When the RSPCA became aware of the incident, they immediately reacted by saying they intended to interview Mrs. Bale. Similarly, the police said they were speaking to her, although one of the reasons was because they were concerned for her personal safety as a result of her actions.  Mary Bale later appeared in court charged with causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. She was told that she could face a maximum sentence of six months in prison or a £20,000 fine. However, the judge was lenient to her because of the vilification she had suffered since the incident and because it was acknowledged that Bale was suffering from stress at the time of her actions.

She was spared a jail term and was instead fined £250 and ordered to pay court costs and victim surcharges. In total, her fines came to a total of just £1,436.04. Although the RSPCA described this as a fair decision, there were many animal lovers that disagreed. This case received a huge amount of press coverage and became a topical debate on many talk shows that covered both the animal cruelty aspect of the story and also the ongoing vilification of Mrs. Bale.

image sources

  • Cat Tossed: © Shutterstock

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