OOPS THAT WAS YOUR PUSSYcat

[larrymeyer]

http://www.officer.com/online/articl...ion=1&id=40753

Pennsylvania Officer Shoots, Kills Family's Cat
Posted: Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Updated: March 25th, 2008 09:24 AM EDT

CECIL TOWNSHIP, Pa. --

A Washington County family is angry and heartbroken after its cat, Elmo, was shot and killed by a police officer.

It happened on Saturday after the cat wandered away from its Cecil Township home.

A Cecil Township police officer received a call about a rabid cat in the area. The officer later found a cat that, he said, had no tags and appeared to be a stray. The officer thought the cat may have been injured. The cat was Elmo.

Elmo was taken into a wooded area and shot. The officer filled out a firearm report and said he felt bad about having to shoot it.

Elmo was a purebred Persian that was 10 years old.

The cat's owner Roger Oldaker and his son had been looking for Elmo since Friday night. A neighbor shared the horrible news with him that his cat had been shot.

Oldaker is shocked and angry. He told Channel 11 this about his beloved Elmo, "He was not injured. He just didn't know where to run. Another cat ran away, and the policeman said if my cat would have run, he would have let him go."

The Cecil Township police chief said the 25-year veteran officer did not do anything wrong and stands behind his decision.

On Monday afternoon, the Oldaker family met with police. The Oldakers are asking the department to come up with a written policy on how to handle cats that doesn't involve shooting them.

[normanvin]

Thats messed up. There is no tags for a cat. That means most cats that are allowed out side is fair game.

[gunperson003]

No domestic animal in the city should be allowed to roam free period. What is wrong with people? I allow my dog to run around sometimes without watch(I'm far from the city), but she doesn't step outside of the boundry I set for her. If someone shot her it would clearly be my fault, yeah she is a pure bred malamute.

oh whoop too dee a purebred persian. The owners are completely at fault, not the police officer. The headline should read, "uncaring owners let their cat get killed"

[reels18]

No domestic animal in the city should be allowed to roam free period. What is wrong with people? I allow my dog to run around sometimes without watch(I'm far from the city), but she doesn't step outside of the boundry I set for her. If someone shot her it would clearly be my fault, yeah she is a pure bred malamute.

oh whoop too dee a purebred persian. The owners are completely at fault, not the police officer. The headline should read, "uncaring owners let their cat get killed"

I agree. Pets are property. The owners should accept responsibility of ownership. Letting their animals roam free is not responsible in my opinion.

[gunperson003]

I agree. Pets are property. The owners should accept responsibility of ownership. Letting their animals roam free is not responsible in my opinion.

I agree 100%!! I'm going to be breeding Saint Bernards in my spare time for fun after I trial and show them. Unfortunately kickme and kissy kissy luba luba people think dogs are not property, they can't be more wrong. I love pissing them off by telling them how the canine brain works and how predators work. Those type of uneducated people swear their dog loves them lol.

+1

[blendingnoise]

Guys, pets do get out sometimes and it stated that the animal was being looked for so I am assuming that. Even then cats love being outside and I find it a bit odd at the responses in the above posts. Cats patrol their neighbourhood and it is quite normal to see cats running around in most neighbourhoods I have lived.

Gunperson I am a dog person and will wholeheartedly agree with your views on dogs but I would also love to piss you off by telling you how a felines brain works and how it perceives territory and divies up the neighbourhood with the other cats and so on. You being a furry should understand that people have strange emotional connections with their pets so stop shitting on other people because you have some elite dog knowledge. When my dog pisses all over the floor after not having seen me in 6 years and goes dizzy running in circles around me, I don't care what you say, my dog loves me and missed the heck out of me.

My question is how the officer caught the cat. If he was able to walk up and grab it he should have known that it was friendly and a housecat. A stray would have clawed the shit out of him and ran. Takes a lot for a cat to show pain and why would an officer come out and take it to the woods to be shot?

[spabula]

It seems the cat " got out" and wasn't let loose to roam the neighborhood. I'm surprised that he just took it somewhere and shot it. I would think that they would need to call animal control or try and turn it in to the ASPCA or Humane society. But maybe they only would do that if it appeared to be a pet and not a stray, don't know.

[gunperson003]

What the hell. actually if your dog hasn't seen you in 6 years, pissed all over the floor and ran around you... Thinking it is a herding dog, I'd say your dog is the alpha and it showing itself. Also, sure I know cats patrol their territory, dogs also do the same thing in dogs with a higher... trying to find the word.. drive. Anas are a great prime example, I'll never own one but they protect and patrol, the problem is you must fence the yard or their territory grows.

To me, there is no difference between a cop shooting the cat or a car running it over. People shouldn't let their cats roam, period. I don't care if the cat is neutered or spayed, it should NOT be let out. This includes providing adequate protection in keeping the cat inside. If the cat escaped, I've a feeling it has done it before. It is up to the OWNERS to train their animals.

Rabid animals aren't cute or nice in any way, they'll try to attack any living thing during the high points. Perhaps the policeman was afraid the cat was rabid, its not exactly easy to tell. Rabid animals don't always attack, but if you see one don't ever go near it. Shooting it is the only way to be sure if it did have rabies it won't spread. *NOBODY* likes a rabies outbreak, especially when it can spread to foxes(long story), wolves, etc..

Did you actually do any research on the Cecil township? A population of near 10k people. If the neighborhood was located outside of the limits of what make the township, there might be no animal control. Its better to shoot one cat then allow the remote chance of rabies.

Guys, pets do get out sometimes and it stated that the animal was being looked for so I am assuming that. Even then cats love being outside and I find it a bit odd at the responses in the above posts. Cats patrol their neighbourhood and it is quite normal to see cats running around in most neighbourhoods I have lived.

Gunperson I am a dog person and will wholeheartedly agree with your views on dogs but I would also love to piss you off by telling you how a felines brain works and how it perceives territory and divies up the neighbourhood with the other cats and so on. You being a furry should understand that people have strange emotional connections with their pets so stop shitting on other people because you have some elite dog knowledge. When my dog pisses all over the floor after not having seen me in 6 years and goes dizzy running in circles around me, I don't care what you say, my dog loves me and missed the heck out of me.

My question is how the officer caught the cat. If he was able to walk up and grab it he should have known that it was friendly and a housecat. A stray would have clawed the shit out of him and ran. Takes a lot for a cat to show pain and why would an officer come out and take it to the woods to be shot?

[Duck]

If it was a pet that got out then that cat should have been looking pretty healthy too and not starved. Plus the coat would have some luster to it. I'd like to know why it was justified to shoot something that was obviously someone's pet? Even if it did get hurt while being outside, find out where it lives so they can get it medical attention. That's what any normal human would have done anyway, not shoot the poor thing. Maybe the cop didn't like cats, who knows, but he should have never shot it.

[gunperson003]

Pictures or video of the cat would help instead of speculation. Maybe it was raining, the cat would have fell in something, or something else to make it look terrible. Guessing if the cat was well taken care of doesn't mean it was, the fact is the cat escaped. I question the cat and the people if the cat was able to get out.

I also question wether this person who called in had experience with this specific cat before. Even in townships and small cities, it is not uncommon for there to be a pest pet/animal which terrorizes the neighborhood.

Yeah, I'm defending the policeman, he did the right thing. If he took it in to the woods, there is 1) a chance the city is spread out or 2) the cat would found outside of the limits of Animal Control.

If it was a pet that got out then that cat should have been looking pretty healthy too and not starved. Plus the coat would have some luster to it. I'd like to know why it was justified to shoot something that was obviously someone's pet? Even if it did get hurt while being outside, find out where it lives so they can get it medical attention. That's what any normal human would have done anyway, not shoot the poor thing. Maybe the cop didn't like cats, who knows, but he should have never shot it.