Family Lobbies for Policy Change After Police Kill Cat

According to a story found on Officer.com, a Lebanon, Ohio family is lobbying for a change in policy after police shot their cat in an alley behind their home this Saturday.

The report says that the cat owner's neighbors called police to respond to a "sick looking cat" behind their home. When officer's showed up to the scene, they conversed and decided to take action according to the departmental policy. They then shot the cat.

The officer's were cleared of any wrongdoing, as they complied with the department's policy on handling stray animals, which is to "destroy sick and injured stray cats when they are found." The report also describes the city policy as saying that "under no circumstances is the officer to transport the [stray] animal in a city vehicle."

At the heart of the story seems to be the fact that the cat was not tagged for identification appropriately, causing the confusion as to whether this was an outdoor cat or a stray and sickly cat.

The report said that the family was devastated by the loss of their cat, and that they are lobbying for the police department to change their policy on handling strays.

Do you think that this treatment was appropriate by the police? Should the policy in this city that pertains to stray animals be changed to be a bit more accommodating?

Let us know what you think about this story in a comment!