By Elisa Black-Taylor
Michael wrote about the mystery Detroit cat recently. He said it was probably a first generation Savannah cat. Marc said this:
If this cat showed up at mine I’d feed it and try to protect it from getting shot or euthanised having been trapped.
Well, the inevitable has happened……
Residents of a northeast Detroit neighborhood have spent the past month being afraid of a wandering Savannah cat, who is now dead. News media played a major role in it’s death. I apologize for the long read, but it’s necessary. The first part of this article explains how the media portrayed the Savannah, with the last part being written by the rescue who tried to save it.
The cat was described to WJBK Fox2 News as
“It’s tall. It has long arms, a very long tail, and a small head.”
Reports made by those who have seen the cat report it as being four feet tall, and weighing more than 30 pounds. The media has helped bring about the death of this big cat, who has now been identified as a Savannah. Those in the media have portrayed a monster, unafraid of humans, who prowled the streets hissing an fearless. One resident in the area called the cat an “evil thing.”
Those in cat rescue tried to catch the cat. Paws for the Cause Feral Cat Rescue tried to trap the cat, whom the rescue says is more afraid of humans than humans are of it. Director of the rescue, Matt Bruzek, along with his wife Laura Wilhelm-Bruzek, explains how the Savannah most likely ending up on the streets of Detroit.
“It’s a Savannah cat. They’re bred with an African Serval and a domestic cat and depending on how far down the breeding chain they are they can be fairly wild. My guess is someone had it that wasn’t familiar with the breed. Thought it was a really cool thing to have. Decided it wasn’t for whatever reason, and threw it outside.”
There are an estimated 10-20 stray cats for every stray dog in the Detroit area. Metro Detroit Police and Animal Control were both called in to help, but neither showed up. Nearby Oakland County has seen so many budget cuts that programs to round up stray cats was discontinued.
Neighbors told Local 4 that the cat is roaming the streets near Alcoy Street and Bringard Drive on Detroit’s east side, and that it was killed last Thursday. Then a similar cat was reported being seen on Friday, leaving everyone to wonder whether there are actually two cats prowling the neighborhood. I’ve been told by someone in the neighborhood that’s a lie, and people were just telling the news media what they wanted to hear.
Paws for the Cause Feral Cat Rescue had asked residents not to harm the cat, and to call them at 586-804-7297 or call the Humane Society. Traps set over the weekend turned up empty, with one trap stolen. The rescue issued a statement on Snow’s Page on Facebook that tells the story of this beautiful cats death.
As promised, here is what unfolded this evening: We have been trying to trap the Savannah day and night since Saturday. We received a picture from a media outlet of a dead Savannah that had been shot on Thursday. We continued to trap even though we knew it was probably a lost cause, simply because of conflicting reports.
We spent a lot of time gaining the trust of the neighborhood and that is why were able to decipher what was truth and what was hype. I was also given the address of where the cat was believed to have been killed yesterday, but did not approach the residence. I was contacted by the owners of the cat today- because the picture of the deceased cat was the property of the media outlet I was not permitted to send it out, therefore had the possible owners meet me in the area we have been trapping.
They confirmed it was their cat, Chum. I also confirmed it was Chum based on personal pictures they supplied. This cat jumped out of a screened in window over a month ago. They have been searching for the cat but it traveled over 4 miles and they simply were not searching the correct areas. They were extremely distraught, so while Matt consoled them I took a walk to the area where the cat was suspected of being killed.
I explained who I was to the man at the residence and asked him if he knew where the cat was so I could at least return him to his owners. He walked me to a garbage can where Chum had been dumped and sure enough he was inside:( We took him out of the trash and brought him to the owners who again confirmed it was Chum.
We gave both channel 4 and 7 the opportunity to ask questions and see the cat so we could put the story to rest and end the ridiculous hype. And as expected, they left all the details out. We then took Chum with us and followed the owners back to their home.
Let me say that this is the most horrendous media reporting I have ever encountered. We had information daily that would have aided in resolving this story and the media chose to hype it up instead. We also did 20 minute interviews with each channel on Saturday where we thoroughly discussed the breed of cat and explained that there was NO cause for alarm or fear and the media used none of that in their on air reports.
I also need to add that the Michigan Humane Society was contacted numerous times from the first sighting of this cat and refused to aid the residents. This could have been resolved weeks ago and a cat would still be alive. While the media should be ashamed of their actions, this cat was shot and killed on Thursday, before the first public reports on Friday. They refused to report what we already knew was true….just for the sake of sensationalism.
Because of the relationships we have formed in the neighborhood (which is in a very bad area of Detroit) I will not be able to publicly answer questions about the person who shot the cat or if any actions will be taken against him. This is to protect myself as well as the residents who helped me to find Chum.”
Rest in Peace beautiful baby…You will not soon be forgotten.
Elisa
Sources:
- facebook.com
- news.yahoo.com/blogs/oddnews
- clickondetroit.com/news
- deadlinedetroit.com
Don’t Dee. There are lots of great things about America. There really are. But to lots of Europeans, the gun laws and the private zoos and wild cats as pets seem very strange indeed.
It is just a different culture. The problem for me is that a cat has been shot when it should not have been shot. That annoys me.
I hate to say it, but I agree , Michael. Because when a person gets shot he usually had something to do with it. Most of the victims of the shootings are gang members and drug dealers. There are some exceptions– stray bullets fly– but usually the victim of the shooting is someone society will be better off without no matter how much everybody rallies around in the neighborhood saying he was a “good kid.” Yeah, then why was he walking around with a gun at two a.m. instead of being in bed because he had school the next day?
But the cat is always innocent. He’s just trying to survive. The cat never deserves that. Some humans don’t either, but nine times out of ten it isn’t innocent humans getting shot. That tenth time is pretty sad, but the humans still have a choice– don’t date a jealous, controlling person who owns a gun. Don’t go to that part of town where bullets are likely to be flying after dark. There are exceptions, and some murders are committed in broad daylight or with other weapons than guns. But I always seem to feel worse when an animal is victimized in any way, because animals completely innocent and don’t understand what is happening to them or why.
I don’t have a thing to add. All of you are absolutely right.
I hang my head in shame because of the way animals are treated by my fellow countrymen.
I live in the US, Marc, and I’m telling you things aren’t ever going to get better. Look at Detroit. That will be the whole country within twenty years, maybe sooner, except for a few gated communities where the super rich live. It’s not just an economic decay. Poverty doesn’t cause crime, it really works the other way around. It has nothing to do with guns. It has to do with the attitude that world owes me something and I’m above having to work for anything. Detroit has the some of the strictest gun laws in the nation. Those laws did nothing for them.
When you have morally bankrupt people you have a giant hell hole like Detroit and our nation is lazy, selfish and morally bankrupt. With or without guns you end up with Detroit when you have government policies that discourage work and break up families. That’s what we have with promises of more and and more of it. At the same time we have such an anti-business climate that there aren’t any jobs anymore even if you want to work. Finally, everybody ends up on the dole. And human beings with too much time on their hands leads to all sorts of no good. I’d be more afraid of a man who has no job and no prospects (gun or no gun) than a man with a job and a family to care for who owns several guns.
But, Michael, growing up in the country we had several guns in our house as did everyone else. No one ever thought of bringing one to school and shooting up the place. You didn’t even hear about shootings in domestic violence cases like you do today. Put a bunch of good people in a room with thousands of guns and no one is going to shoot anyone else. The thugs will bludgeon each other to death with stones if that is all that is at hand. Guns have absolutely nothing to do with the moral decay that is Detroit. Their use is but a symptom. My late husband owned a few guns, many of the men I know own guns, we have one around here someplace, locked up though. Jeff also has a pellet gun and a BB gun someplace. Almost everyone I know owns a gun or two. A few people I know participate in legal conceal carry having taken the class and applied for the license. Not one of those people I know ever has used his or her gun in an illegal manner. Back in the pioneer days everybody had guns, but people didn’t behave the way the thugs in our cities behave. Well, if they did they found themselves hanging from the nearest tree.
Somehow, we have lost our way and tolerate behavior we never would have tolerated in the past. The criminals have all the rights while the good people cower in fear. Fear for their lives and property, but also fear of saying anything. We have to be sufficiently compassionate. We can’t appear racist. While our country goes right down the toilet. But that giant flushing sound I’m hearing has nothing to do with guns. If we were still the nation we once were it wouldn’t matter how many guns were around.
Also, the gun violence gets media attention, but there is so much crime committed where a gun isn’t used. The shootings are the tip of the ice berg. I could tell you stories that would curl your hair, and none of them involve a gun, but are terrifying none the less.
I agree with you Harvey. Therefore in a country where a cat this size, looking like a wild cat, will be shot if it escapes, the precautions you mention should be in place. It is a massively high standard.
It begs the question whether these cats should be bred. Sorry to state that. It is the same as having servals as pets. When they escape you can pretty well assume they won’t make it.