# So much about this story disgusts me



## J-Boo (Mar 5, 2015)

Not dog related, forgive me, but pet related at least.

The Texas veterinarian who killed a cat that turned out to be her neighbor's pet will not be charged due to insufficient evidence.

She boasted about it on Facebook, posting a picture of her holding up the dead cat, saying "the only good feral tomcat is one with an arrow through it's head! Vet of the year award...gladly accepted!". Of course, it wasn't a feral tomcat at all, but still, what kind of vet proudly shares a picture of herself holding an animal corpse? (I know that some people enjoy hunting as a sport, but I also really wish my hunter friends did not feel the need to post pictures of dead animals on Facebook, either.)

Anyway, they could not verify when or where the picture was taken. Also, apparently "investigators couldn't prove the cat was killed in a cruel manner. The guidelines from the American Veterinary Medical Association include a 'bolt to the head' as a humane form of euthanasia — when done correctly."


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## J-Boo (Mar 5, 2015)

Here it is. I find this so disgusting.


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## Rangers_mom (May 16, 2013)

It never ceases to amaze me what idiots will post on the internet.

What a repulsive moron.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Wait...it was the neighbors cat? Oh boy.


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## newlie (Feb 12, 2013)

Good God! 

The only thing I can say is that I guess there are idiots in every profession. I know when my husband and I decided to have Max put to sleep, we wanted it done at home and our regular vet did not make house calls. We got several names online of vets who would provide this kind of service and called to speak to each one of them. One guy told us "It will cost extra if he struggles." That made me sick and ruled him out right then and there. As far as we were concerned, it was the vet's job to make sure Max didn't struggle. What was he planning on doing, coming in and wrestling a 14 year old dog to the ground?

No. We all know that sometimes animals have to be put to sleep. But putting a cat to sleep with medication is a far cry from shooting one in the head with a bow. I, too, find it disgusting and can only wonder that she had the nerve to post it where other people could see it. I'll say this, if she was Newlie's vet and I saw that picture, our relationship would be terminated.


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## J-Boo (Mar 5, 2015)

newlie said:


> Good God!
> 
> The only thing I can say is that I guess there are idiots in every profession. I know when my husband and I decided to have Max put to sleep, we wanted it done at home and our regular vet did not make house calls. We got several names online of vets who would provide this kind of service and called to speak to each one of them. One guy told us "It will cost extra if he struggles." That made me sick and ruled him out right then and there. As far as we were concerned, it was the vet's job to make sure Max didn't struggle. What was he planning on doing, coming in and wrestling a 14 year old dog to the ground?
> 
> No. We all know that sometimes animals have to be put to sleep. But putting a cat to sleep with medication is a far cry from shooting one in the head with a bow. I, too, find it disgusting and can only wonder that she had the nerve to post it where other people could see it. I'll say this, if she was Newlie's vet and I saw that picture, our relationship would be terminated.


Oh my god, what a terrible thing for that vet to say to you!

The woman from this news story was fired from her job at least.


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## CDR Shep Mama (Mar 14, 2015)

I'm an archer, an avid hunter, and this is completely despicable and disgusting. It is a shame the charges were dropped/not filed.

I believe in hunting as an action of responsibility, you take responsibility to use every part of the animal after you took its life. Killing a cat, feral or not, is senseless and inappropriate, especially when it's easy to put out humane traps and turn it over to a shelter/rescue.


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## GatorBytes (Jul 16, 2012)

I believe I read it was her first kill also.
Sick


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## J-Boo (Mar 5, 2015)

CDR Shep Mama said:


> I'm an archer, an avid hunter, and this is completely despicable and disgusting. It is a shame the charges were dropped/not filed.
> 
> I believe in hunting as an action of responsibility, you take responsibility to use every part of the animal after you took its life. Killing a cat, feral or not, is senseless and inappropriate, especially when it's easy to put out humane traps and turn it over to a shelter/rescue.


This. I don't have it in me to be a hunter myself, but I can of course understand the necessity for there to be SOME people who do this, and I agree with the responsibility to use every part of the animal you can in exchange for its life.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

CDR Shep Mama said:


> I'm an archer, an avid hunter, and this is completely despicable and disgusting. It is a shame the charges were dropped/not filed.
> 
> I believe in hunting as an action of responsibility, you take responsibility to use every part of the animal after you took its life. Killing a cat, feral or not, is senseless and inappropriate, *especially when it's easy to put out humane traps and turn it over to a shelter/rescue*.


Sorry for picking on you, but lots of places this just simply isn't true. Feral cats are a huge problem and shelters and rescues have no room for critters the find unadoptable, or the process to make them adoptable will take way too many resources. 

I did not read the story. I wondered if it was some form of satirical or sarcastic work-place humor. Or, maybe it is someone who has had to put down so many feral cats in the course of her work that she has become totally hardened by it. A bit young for that. Feral cats can't be easy to handle, and when they euthanize them by the hundreds, my guess is most people have scars from them. 

It is sad, but there are spay/neuter, spay-release programs out there, and still there are feral cats everywhere. It is not easy to get ANYONE to take one off your hands. 

Evenso, what kind of completely emotionally bankrupt individual could post a picture of a common pet, proudly killed with an arrow.


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## CDR Shep Mama (Mar 14, 2015)

selzer said:


> Sorry for picking on you, but lots of places this just simply isn't true. Feral cats are a huge problem and shelters and rescues have no room for critters the find unadoptable, or the process to make them adoptable will take way too many resources.
> 
> I did not read the story. I wondered if it was some form of satirical or sarcastic work-place humor. Or, maybe it is someone who has had to put down so many feral cats in the course of her work that she has become totally hardened by it. A bit young for that. Feral cats can't be easy to handle, and when they euthanize them by the hundreds, my guess is most people have scars from them.
> 
> ...


True true, I was thinking small and only considering my area with the feral cats being little to few, they can be and are a bigger problem elsewhere. However, I personally feel the risk is too high they might belong to someone and, with the possibility that they could end up with a loving family, it's foolish to kill it senselessly.

Yeah, my brother in law had an experience with the spay/neuter release program. They had a cat coming to visit their house every couple of days, so they started leaving food for him and eventually let him in a few times, one day he came up to the house and they noticed his boy bits were missing! To their surprise the neighbor visited the next day and apologized, he thought no one owned the cat and had him neutered, then watched him walk to their house and worried he had someone else's pet fixed! They laughed about it then the neighbor brought the papers over and that's how Frank became my BIL's cat.

It's hard to think someone would be willing to put an arrow through Frank's head and toss him away like junk. I guess that's why I have the child-like heart about rescuing. 

It'd be great if this was satire but sadly animal abuse/cruelty happens behind close doors anyway, regardless of FB posts.


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## newlie (Feb 12, 2013)

One of the articles I read said that she told her friends not to worry about her getting into trouble as a result of the Facebook post because she was too "awesome" to get in trouble. All of which makes her stupid as well as callous.


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## amburger16 (May 22, 2015)

She should be charged, I'm glad she was fired.. If it was my cat I would just shoot her with her own bow.. I'm violent when it comes to how people treat animals.. I believe you should be treated the same way. As for feral cats, there is an over abundance of them, but that doesn't mean its appropriate to kill them.. Its actually quite sick I think


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## counter (Feb 20, 2009)

If someone, anyone, especially a neighbor, killed one of my dogs or cats, I'd be in jail for assault. They'd be lucky if I didn't kill them in return. My pets are loved like my children, nearly on the same level. So to avoid all of this, we ensure our pets don't get out, and we notify our neighbors of what pets we have, just in case they'd ever end up in someone's crosshairs. Ha!


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## Girl_Loves_Hydraulics (Apr 13, 2014)

selzer said:


> Sorry for picking on you, but lots of places this just simply isn't true. Feral cats are a huge problem and shelters and rescues have no room for critters the find unadoptable, or the process to make them adoptable will take way too many resources.
> 
> I did not read the story. I wondered if it was some form of satirical or sarcastic work-place humor. Or, maybe it is someone who has had to put down so many feral cats in the course of her work that she has become totally hardened by it. A bit young for that. Feral cats can't be easy to handle, and when they euthanize them by the hundreds, my guess is most people have scars from them.
> 
> ...


The only thing I will say is yes there are a lot of feral cats. But it still doesn't justify proudly displaying how you killed an animal in such a callous matter. It was someone's pet and the owner stepped forward and said it was her cat (neutered indoor/outdoor pet). If this was a deer, I probably wouldn't be as concerned since at least the people I know EAT the deer they shoot. This is nothing short of showing everyone what a borderline sociopath she truly is. 

If you want to go and kill cats with bow and arrows, no one is stopping you. But you don't have to post it on social media and then pretty much act like you did someone a favor. The only saving grace here is she had her license pulled. Good, we don't need more "pretend to care for cash" providers out there. It takes away from the professionals that actually care.


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

Some people are just backwards and just shows that not everyone evolves.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

I totally agree that her actions are not acceptable and we (as society) do tend to place the behaviors regarding the treatment of animals by our vets higher than the average Joe. 

As a pet owner, I would not use this vet ever as I could not trust her to be ethical when treating my pet. 

However - the owner of the cat should share some of the responsibility. They should have kept the cat safe and not allowed it to roam.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

J-Boo said:


> (I know that some people enjoy hunting as a sport, but I also really wish my hunter friends did not feel the need to post pictures of dead animals on Facebook, either.)


I'm sorry, but I gotta ask...If it offends you to see it on FB, why would you post the picture of the dead cat on this thread?


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## Cheyanna (Aug 18, 2012)

I don't understand why people have outdoor cats. My neighbor has 2 who use my yard as a litter box and torment the dogs. They also hunt the birds. Fiona protects our chickens, but I have seen 2 injured birds and cleaned up one dead bird.

If the cat was a threat, I don't blame her for killing it, but proudly boasting about it is callous.


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## counter (Feb 20, 2009)

Our neighbors had 2 indoor cats that were peeing on the carpet, so they turned them into outside cats. We have coyote packs that walk across the golf course behind our house to drink from the pond, and we've seen coyotes right outside our windows and on our front porch. So far, the cats have been lucky and have somehow remained alive; although, this winter was warmer than last winter (cats were indoor last year), so we saw less of the coyotes which might be why the cats are not coyote snacks yet. We also have a Paw Paw, who will kill anything on sight. Those cats have come in our backyard before at night when the dogs were inside. All it takes is 1 mistake with a Paw Paw around and that cat is a goner. I am dreading that scenario, as it could create major problems between us and our neighbors. Paw Paw and Beowulf like to be outside most of the day when it isn't too hot, and they are very quiet. Paw Paw has caught birds out of the air, so a cat wouldn't stand much of a chance trying to jump back up over these 6' high privacy fences with a Paw Paw hot on his tail. Our 5 cats are all indoor cats, and only go outside in a harness on a long leash (with a Paw Paw put away).


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## J-Boo (Mar 5, 2015)

Lilie said:


> I'm sorry, but I gotta ask...If it offends you to see it on FB, why would you post the picture of the dead cat on this thread?


...good point. 

Sorry!


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## Jessiewessie99 (Mar 6, 2009)

I saw this story running around on FB, I was appalled. I just don't understand humans.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Lilie said:


> I'm sorry, but I gotta ask...If it offends you to see it on FB, why would you post the picture of the dead cat on this thread?


I thought the same thing. I sure didn't want to see it again


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

I personally have a feral cat that I trapped and brought into my home. She has been an indoor cat for about 4.5 yrs now. At first she would only come by me but now she will sleep with the kids too. The dogs get along with her the best out of all the cats. Robyn adores her and will sneak upstairs and cuddle with her any chance she gets. i took her in because she was black and it was getting close to Halloween. I was scared for her. If anyone did anything like that to her I would not have let it go and I would have done something about it. It takes a real cruel person to do what this so called human piece of poop did.


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## Nikitta (Nov 10, 2011)

Why would you even become a vet if you had so little respect for animals to treat them like that and then be proud enough to take a picture of it? It is unbelievable.


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## gsdsar (May 21, 2002)

To me, it's not about killing the cat. 

It's about being proud and calling yourself "vet of the year". Like it's some great accomplishment. 

I am fine with hunting. The vet I used to work raises cows that I buy for meat every year. I have no problem eating meat and using other animals for protein.

I have a problem with someone thinking it's okay to brag about a senseless killing like it was an accomplishment. That cat was not going to provide food for her family, was not threatening her health or safety in any way. It was a joy killing. It should not be celebrated. If it needed to be done for the sake of wildlife and birds, than so be it. I don't get the trophy aspect of it. 

It shows a true lack of character on her part.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

gsdsar said:


> To me, it's not about killing the cat.
> 
> It's about being proud and calling yourself "vet of the year". Like it's some great accomplishment.
> 
> ...



There is hunting, slaughter for food(cows, chicken, pigs), and there is killing. Cats are not nor will they ever be something that is hunted. Deer, yes. Pheasant,yes. Duck, yes. Cats, no. So yes it should be about killing a cat, this is most probably a serial killer in the making. She is so sure of herself and so cocky that she is exactly the type to take things to the next level. It was not only senseless, but cruel and torturous. When that picture was first circulated, the cat was still alive with the bow in its head. At that time police were trying to determine that before they moved forward. In this case a picture is worth a thousand words...


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## newlie (Feb 12, 2013)

llombardo said:


> There is hunting, slaughter for food(cows, chicken, pigs), and there is killing. Cats are not nor will they ever be something that is hunted. Deer, yes. Pheasant,yes. Duck, yes. Cats, no. So yes it should be about killing a cat, this is most probably a serial killer in the making. She is so sure of herself and so cocky that she is exactly the type to take things to the next level. It was not only senseless, but cruel and torturous. When that picture was first circulated, the cat was still alive with the bow in its head. At that time police were trying to determine that before they moved forward. In this case a picture is worth a thousand words...


Agreed. I don't object to people who hunt wild animals although I would not do it myself. Presumably, it's a sport, the animal has a fighting chance and the meat is used. A pet is a domesticated animal, they could be lured with treats, sweet talk, etc, and killed.

The gloating attitude is particularly disturbing, I think.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

newlie said:


> The gloating attitude is particularly disturbing, I think.


What idiot would post a picture of themselves on social media killing a domestic animal? Then throw in the fact that they are a vet?!??! When I first saw this on FB I thought it was a hoax. It was just too stupid to be true.


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## Ruger Monster (Jan 29, 2015)

Lilie said:


> What idiot would post a picture of themselves on social media killing a domestic animal? Then throw in the fact that they are a vet?!??! When I first saw this on FB I thought it was a hoax. It was just too stupid to be true.


I thought so also. 

Absolutely disgusting.


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## newlie (Feb 12, 2013)

Kind of puts it in perspective if you think of someone shooting your own pet with a bow and arrow.


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## scottj (Jul 22, 2015)

thats horrible :-(


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## voodoolamb (Jun 21, 2015)

I do think that posting the pic on facebook with that comment was inappropriate. If an animal needs to be killed it should be treated with respect. And that was just...wrong 

It's horrible that this cat was someone's pet. My heart goes out to them for loosing their buddy. 

But I see a lot of people taking issue with the thought of killing a cat in general. Another forum I frequent was all up in arms about it.

I have absolutely zero problem with killing _feral_ cats. I have assisted in the extermination of them myself. This was while visiting a friend in Australia a few years ago. Yes it always needs to be done humanely and with respect (which it was) but it often needs to be done.

Cats in your house are pets. Cats outside are an invasive species. And like most invasive species have a detrimental effect on native wildlife. A study from a few years ago found that cats have caused the extinction of over 30 species world wide. And more are coming in the near future  I think it was 2 years ago? that a few feral cats got into an sanctuary that was built for bilbies and wiped out 150 juveniles. This is a species with less then 1000 individuals left in the wild. So it was absolutely devastating. Flightless birds like kiwis are going the way of the dodo because they can't escape the whiskered onslaught. 

The problem with TNR is it keeps putting these very effective predators back INTO the environment where they keep killing. It's also not cost effective for the sheer numbers of feral cats. The spay/neuter, vax, drugs, facility to perform the surgery, etc - up to $100 per cat. A bullet is $0.10. 

I've had pet cats. I loved them dearly. Bawled like a baby when I lost my last girl. I don't like killing. Anything. I am a wuss. One of those people that would starve if they have to keep seeing where their food comes from - heck I have even become overcome with guilt by trying to cook a lobster (Which resulted in an epic road trip to release it back into the wild!). Helping with that feral removal was probably one of the hardest things I have had to do - But I am a conservationist first and for most. The health of an entire species is far more important then the life of an individual. 

*sigh* I blame star trek. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. 

Now I am all bummed out thinking of the kitties. Time to go play with the puppy to cheer myself up!


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## Persinette (Jan 31, 2015)

My father was a hunter and we ate/used the animals he hunted (deer, quail, duck, etc.) I don't have a problem with hunting on principle if it's for: food, population control, in defense of one's property.

I didn't read the article so this is an opinion on situations like this in general, not this specific situation. I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with shooting a cat on your property. I wouldn't do it. I love animals. But some people don't. And while not liking animals doesn't give them the right to torture them and kill them indiscriminately out in their own environment, if an animal wonders onto one's own property and they kill it, I don't think they are wholly in the wrong.

Just because I would not kill the animal (could lay a trap, give to shelter, etc.) as others have mentioned, that isn't always an option. In some parts of the country tomcats are a huge problem and are reproducing in number, the shelters are too full to take more and they will be euthanized, etc. In some parts of the US, shooting animals that wonder onto your land is the cultural norm. I certainly don't think people should be going around gunning down all manner of wildlife, but on one's own property if an animal wonders on and that individual chooses to eliminate it in humane means (which a bow and arrow is relatively humane in my mind, heck, its what humans have used for centuries to hunt) I can't - and won't -villanize them.

Yes this happened to be a pet, which is tragic. Yes, this person boasted about it on Facebook in a manner some find repugnant. I too, in the least, see it to be in poor taste. But depending on your community/perspective, she did a public service by eliminating 'vermin' in the area and was proudly showing off her first shot (it is not easy to learn to reliably hit a moving target).

As an analogy, I love wolves and want to be an activist for their conservation. But I can't ignore the legitimate concerns of farmers/livestock owners who have to live with them and if a wolf wondered onto their property and tried to eat one of their animals, I think they would be justified in shooting it as much as it would pain me on a personal level. No, a cat isn't likely to eat one's livelihood, but it can be a health risk (disease carrying, etc.) if it were feral.

I'm just trying to point out that perspective changes a lot depending on what part of the country/world you live in. Someone posted an article recently talking about how, as a county, the US has become very 'soft'. Children aren't allowed to play outside alone anymore, dogs can't be left in an air-conditioned car for 10 minutes without the cops being called, and (while in this case it was a pet, in many cases it is not) a cat on one's property being killed causes for massive public outcry.

Ultimately the solution in my mind is: keeping humans and true 'wild' life separate to some degree (i.e. national parks and sanctuaries where they can roam free and unhindered safe from people), responsible pet ownership where pets don't wonder onto other's land, and finally responsible breeding practices so we don't have an abundance of poor strays wondering about.

This particular case was a tragedy to be certain, but I do think incidences like these do get blown out of proportion by activists and 'slactivists' alike.

As to her gloating, as I mentioned, many of us it feels 'disgusting', as other have stated. Vet or not though, in some states of the US, she would be seen as doing a community service. (Again, didn't read the article. Don't know if she knew it was a pet and not feral.)


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## newlie (Feb 12, 2013)

You make some good points, Persinette, but I cannot entirely agree.

While I have never deliberately killed anything larger than a bug, I don't have a quarrel per se with hunting. People do use the meat for the most part, I would guess, so it is not much different than the rest of us who eat steak and hamburgers and bacon. And at least with wild animals, they've got a fighting chance. The cat was not feral, but a neighbor's pet, and killing a domesticated animal who may not have even run from her isn't much to be proud of, in my opinion. Some have said that the cat was still alive when she held it up to have the picture taken, I don't know if that is true or not. Regardless, I find her actions and her gloating cruel and disgusting.

It is not unusual for a neighborhood cat and dog to wander into my front yard and then wander back out. They don't bother me and I don't bother them. My neighbor keeps a few chickens and they have jumped the fence into my backyard and I have come home from work to find them walking down my driveway. Big deal. If an animal did bother me, I would either call their owner if I knew who they belonged to, run them out of my yard or call animal control as a last resort. Call me crazy, but I wouldn't run and get my bow and arrow or my gun. But I live in suburbia...Yes, if a wolf came on to my yard, that might be a different story.

I agree that most of us treat our pets very differently than people did some years ago. And there are some who undoubtedly are a little extreme. However, if so-and-so wants to treat their poodle to a spa day, and has the money to do it, whose business is it? At the very least, they are not hurting anyone else. No. If the US is getting "soft," it's because of a sense of entitlement that some feel that people owe them a living, a failure to take responsibility for your own actions and a lack of moral fiber. Lord help me, if I see one more video of people standing around watching and filming while someone is assaulted, I will vomit.


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