Teenager Arrested for Cat Murder

Of all the atrocities to which human beings are capable, I rank cruelty to animals as one of the most horrendous and unspeakable crimes. When I hear about stories similar to the one below, I am always shocked and deeply distraught. Not only does it break my heart, but it gets me incredible angry.

And while my rational mind is cognizant that the people who perform these acts may suffer from deep-seated psychological disorders, I find it very difficult to have any compassion for them at all. As a retired psychotherapist, perhaps I am not being sufficiently professional which would allow me to take those issues into consideration, but I find myself unable to remain emotionally undetached.

I think it is high time that we, as animal lovers, set their as a priority and not allow excuses to be made for such violent and sadistic behavior. Considering how the large percentage of acts of cruelty directed at animals often develops into violence toward humans, we must even find ways to prevent it from happening.

It has been so frustrating to animal lovers over the past years, that the people who committed these grievous deeds were basically given a slap on the wrist, a small fine and their actions apparently not given a second thought by the judicial system. So it is extremely heartening to me to have read about law enforcement personnel who consider animal cruelty a serious crime.

Last week, in Windsor, Ontario, a seventeen year-old boy was arrested by police in connections with the stabbing murder of a three to four-year-old calico cat. Police said that he even knew the cat that was named Cleo, as she was a stray recently found and adopted by his family. Cleo was spayed and sadly declawed which obviously meant that at one time she belonged to someone.

Scene of the crime Animal Welfare officers were shocked by the crime, describing the acts as "vicious." The officers were summoned to Atkinson Park in Windsor's west end soon after a local resident reported seeing two young men "kicking and stabbing a garbage bag before throwing it into a swimming pool."

These violent acts are so incredibly gruesome that I am refraining from writing explicitly about them. Fortunately the family surrendered their two other healthy cats to the humane society.

The teenager was due to be arraigned on two charges: "willfully causing the unnecessary suffering of an animal and willfully killing an animal". If he is found guilty I hope he pays dearly for his crimes.

What reactions do you have when you hear about cruelty to animals? Please leave a comment and share your thoughts.