A series of animal cruelty cases are under investigation in Bartlesville.
Since August 10th, three separate cases involving cats have been reported to police.“This is a concern, there is no excuse for animal cruelty,” said Bartlesville Police Department Animal Control Officer, Rita Harvey.
The most recent case happened about two weeks ago, on September 3rd, when a witness reported seeing a couple of teenagers in a parking lot drag a white cat by a string around its neck.
“They had a fishing line around his neck and was tossing him around,” said Sheila Taylor from the Animal Rescue Foundation in Bartlesville. Taylor said she and other members of A.R.F got involved in the case following the incident. The teenagers weren’t caught but the cat was immediately taken to a local veterinarian clinic.
“The cat could not see and his eyes were extremely dilated,” said Dr. Vernon Newby, a veterinarian at the Madison Pet Clinic.
“He was blind and he would run into walls,” said Dr. Newby. The animal appeared to be in good health but Dr. Newby said he is having difficulty determining if the animal was blind prior to the abuse or not.
“He can see partially so hopefully he will continue to improve,” said Dr. Newby.
The cat has since been placed in a foster home.
Sheila Taylor said this case is disturbing but she is also bothered it isn’t the only recent case of animal cruelty.
“It’s very devastating for a town our size to have at least three instances where cats have been abused,” said Taylor.
Officer Harvey told FOX23 that police were contacted by motorists on August 10th after they witnessed a man shoot a cat inside of a carrier near Will Rogers Road. The animal suffered significant injuries and had to be put down.
Twelve days after that incident, kittens were reportedly thrown out of a moving truck on Rogers Avenue.
Officer Harvey said that they are working to gather details on these three separate incidents.
Some pet owners in Bartlesville said they just want the abuse to come to an end.
“I’m furious, totally furious,” a concerned citizen, Ronda Miller, told FOX23. Miller said she won’t leave her animals outdoors for fear they will get hurt. “If they can do that then they could hurt any body or anything,” said Miller.
In July, Kim Tate told FOX23 that she was outraged when she learned a pit bull’s throat had been slashed in Washington County. She said she is saddened to hear about the most recent animal abuse cases. “It’s sick, just totally sick.”
Both women said they have faith that whoever is responsible will be caught.
“Somebody needs to come forward and speak for these animals because they can’t speak for themselves,” said Miller.
The Humane Society of the United States has offered a $2,500 reward for information that helps find the person or people responsible.
If you have any information that would help in the investigation contact Officer Rita Harvey.
