Posted on 02/28/2005 11:01:51 AM PST by Cagey
GILLESPIE -- Authorities admit they had to resort to a Taser to subdue a cat in a manner that is making fur fly around town.
Gillespie Police Chief Rick Hearn said Thursday morning that a cat fight ended earlier this month with one cat being Tasered then shot to death by police officers.
Hearn, who said his officers’ response was appropriate given the circumstances, said the incident began at 9:12 p.m. Feb. 9 when dispatch notified his son, part-time Gillespie police officer Rob Hearn, of a cat fight at the home of George Mull.
Rob Hearn called the Mull house and was told that two cats were fighting in the Mull garage and that one appeared badly hurt. When Hearn, joined by full-time officer Kevin Raymer, went to the house, Mull told them one cat had gone up into the rafters of the garage. The cat had lost an eye and was badly mangled, Mull told police.
Police said the officers attempted to use pepper spray to get the cat down, and when that failed, they called animal control officer Jessica Spangler and told her to bring her harness pole.
The officers attempted to net the cat with the harness pole, and when that failed, used a Taser gun on the animal.
"Once the animal was brought down, Jessica told the officers that the cat was so severely injured that she ordered the officers to shoot the cat. For safety reasons, the officers took the cat outside the city limits and shot it," Chief Hearn said.
A Taser is an electronic stun device. The electricity disrupts the sensor nervous system and the motor nervous system that carries commands from the brain to muscles to control movement. The handheld device projects two darts with the potential charge of thousands of volts of electricity, which can last five seconds. The capability of the instrument has drawn widespread praise and criticism. About 100 deaths have been linked to Taser use since 2000, according to published reports.
One Gillespie resident who heard of the incident was appalled that the officers used a Taser on a small animal and that the animal control officer had ordered the animal shot rather than taken to a veterinarian for either medical treatment or humane euthanasia.
"All of this concerns me greatly," the resident told the Telegraph in a letter. "I would hope that if my cat or dogs ever got out, that animal control and Gillespie’s officers would not kill it inhumanely. Instead, I hope they would capture it and allow me the allotted time to retrieve it."
The Illinois Humane Care for Animals Act does allow, in certain circumstances, animal control personnel, animal shelter employee or law enforcement agencies to humanely kill an animal that is severely injured, diseased or suffering, in a manner that affords a painless death, said Ledy Van Kavage, senior director of legislative services for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. VanKavage said she understood the position the police took, given the cat’s condition.
Chief Hearn said he feels his officers responded appropriately given the situation and had only used the Taser when all other efforts had failed. He said the report does not mention where the second cat went or what the officers did with the dead cat, which had no city tags for identification.
"I am assuming the officers buried the cat," Hearn said. "It was unfortunate that the cat was injured so badly that Jessica felt it had no chance of surviving its injuries. We do have leash laws in Gillespie, and I hope pet owners will make sure their pets have city tags and that their pets are kept contained or on a leash so incidents like these won’t happen."
See photo in post #72.
That's Pinky. He's a very affectionate cat.
OMG tell me there just sleeping? if they are the other my day is ruined!
Lady Jag makes reference to them: "Just wait till they wake up. "
Busy? I've just spent four hours burying the cat!
Why are you burying the cat? Maybe he needs to be fed.
I really don't know what to say. If they could drive the poor cat out of town to shoot it, they should have taken it to a Vet. and had him put to sleep.
I hate seeing pictures like that! You know I don't see that many dead cats on the road like I used to I think people are becoming more responsible that way..
Are those your kitties in that previous photo> they are so darn cute! you just want to eat em up!
I posted a picture of my little King "Zorro"
Perhaps the dumbing down of America has spanned the Atlantic. What they did makes no sense at all, and then they put in the paper!
Well if they need "LIVE FIRE", they can move to Detroit. There can be some "ACTION" a couple miles down the road from here.
I'm just a softy when it come to cats, and when I had to put my kitty to sleep, I cried my eyes out.
They can shoot all the people they want, just don't shoot cats.
Around these parts there are two kinds of cat people, those who still let their cats out and those who don't.
Those cats let out get eaten by coyote, et al, before they get run over by cars.
Those cats kept indoors have owners with brains enough to remember all the warnings about cats being food.
Indoor cats can live twice as long as those outdoors. I state it matter of factly because people who let their cats out don't listen, anyway.
Actually, they have 18 claws (I refer to them as 'fish hooks'.) There are 4 each on the hind legs. That is, unless my cats are freaks of nature.
Agreed. Couldn't they try to give it pain killers and take it to a vet?
Think Mrs. Springman could relate to this?
Weird. A floater just appeared on the screen. FR has been relatively immune to such things.
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