after reading the article, I tend to agree - the cat was severely injured, and the officers couldn't get it down. They tasered it so they could examine it, and after discovering that it's injuries were that bad, they put it out of its' misery.
that said I do wonder why if they were able to drive it to a remote area, why couldn't they drive it to the vet for a more humane end?
Police have a new toy, need to check it out.
The vet might have had some ideas about how the cat had been treated.
Just 'cause a cat lost an eye and was pretty torn up is no reason to "put it out of its misery." I had an old tom cat named Africa who lost an eye, had half a dozen near death experiences from his cat wars, and lived to be about twenty five years old - fathering hundreds of out-of-wedlock kitties, keeping down the mouse population, and generally misbehaving. He died with a smile on his face.
There's not much more humane end to a cat than a 9mm slug to the head. That is assuming we agree 'humane' means quick and painless....
I suppose the trouble I have is that I don't see a quick gun shot to the head is inhumane in a situation like this.