Cat defends himself and is put down to test for rabies

This is madness. It makes me mad. This woman apparently took in this stray cat, a tabby and white. She called him “Buddy”. She decided that Buddy wanted to attack her dog so she kicked snow at the cat – you can see it the video. This provoked and wound up Buddy who, unsurprisingly, counter attacked. He attacked her; he retaliated, which is to be expected. Whose fault was it?

And frankly, I am massively impressed by Buddy’s attack. Awesome and courageous. Sadly, his courage cost him his life. Someone thought he might have rabies! Who the hell decided that? Animal control people who are described as “Sanilac County officials”. Anyone with a grain of common sense could tell that the cat attack was due to provocation and not unprovoked.

Anyway, to test for rabies in you have to kill the cat first. Buddy was killed. Over and out – end of story. An example of combined human madness. Humans created the problem that lead to Buddy being killed by humans.

The woman says she likes cats and wants to save another. She said she had saved Buddy from someone who wanted to have him put to sleep. She didn’t do a very good job did she?

People are divided over this story. For my part, as stated, this is human folly and idiocy. The cat should have been left alone. The woman got what she deserved. For others, it was right to euthanize the cat. The video description on YouTube is: Viewer Video: Cat attacks woman in the snow. That implies the cat is a bad animal. In my opinion, that is totally misconstruing the situation and is unfair to the cat and cats generally. The video should be described as “Viewer Video: Cat defends himself from human abuse“. Or something like that.


My thanks to Riverside Robyn for showing me this video. It made me mad…


Note: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified.

Michael Broad

Hi, I'm a 74-year-old retired solicitor (attorney in the US). Before qualifying I worked in many jobs including professional photography. I love nature, cats and all animals. I am concerned about their welfare. If you want to read more click here.

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31 Responses

  1. Eva D.R.Force says:

    I have to also believe that this woman got exactly what was coming to her. The cat ran up to the fence because it was begging for love acceptance and food. He or she wished to be cared for and pampered over the same way she cared for the dog-who was watching the entire episode and seemed to be encouraged by the owner to not like the poor cat. I also feel that this cat was demanding because someone did love it during it’s life and then put it out or it was left due to a move?
    The woman got what she deserved_The cat did not.

  2. Christine says:

    This is a link to the story from the Detroit news site. Attack apparently happened in Detroit – http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/story/24221193/viewer-video-horrible-cat-attack

    I believe it’s just a case of displaced aggression where the cat attacked the person instead of the dog. It’s not uncommon cat behaviour and they should not be killed because of it. That’s idiotic. From a policy perspective, it’s also a waste of taxpayers’ money, just like all the other unnecessary killing by animal control.

    Where I live in Ontario, cats and dogs are not removed from their home if they bite someone, unless the owner requests it. Pet owners are just told to quarantine the animal for about two weeks if they don’t have proof of rabies vaccination. If the animal is a stray, they would be quarantined at the pound I believe.

    The local TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) group microchips community cats after they’re spayed or neutered and vaccinated. This prevented a member of the public from requiring the rabies series of shots after they look one of the community cats into their home and he bit them; the cat was scanned and the microchip showed he was vaccinated.

    Rabies is practically eradicated from the province of Ontario but pets are still required to be vaccinated. A systematic wildlife rabies vaccination program via medicated baits by the government has been reducing infection rates for several years here. The huge decline in the bat population due to white nose disease is believed to be contributing to the decline in rabies as well. Even if it’s eradicated here, reintroduction of rabies from animals in the USA migrating into the province is still possible.

    • Michael says:

      Thanks Christine – excellent comment, very instructional. You should become a PoC author. I pay, you know.

      Any right-thinking individual will see the stupidity of what happened. The cat just happened to be the victim. Just bad luck. Completely unnecessary to kill this cat, who I admire. Courageous. Anyway he is in a better place.

  3. Michael says:

    You probably know it but the cat did not have rabies. The test proved negative. Surprised?

  4. Barbara says:

    I’m so sad to find out the end of this story, I’d seen the video on Facebook and remarked that it served her right that the cat attacked her for the way she was kicking snow at it, I didn’t know it was her cat and of course now I know the cat was killed, how awful, what a misguided self opinionated, ignorant waste of space that woman is, she shouldn’t be allowed to be in charge of any animal let alone allowed to “rescue” them.

  5. Dee (Florida) says:

    OK. Didn’t want to, but I watched.
    I don’t gert why she went inside, leaving her dog out, if she was so concerned about him with Buddy.
    Also, who was filming and WHY? Was this a planned event?
    It’s just odd to me that this was captured.

    • Ruth aka Kattaddorra says:

      Yes you are right Dee, there is something odd about it, why did whoever was filming it watch her kicking the poor cat and why did they not go and help her when the cat ‘attacked’ her?

  6. Dee (Florida) says:

    I’m not watching the video either.
    However, euthanizing the cat immediately isn’t general protocol.
    Usually, the animal in question is confined for 10 days of observation.
    My guess as to why this didn’t happen was because he was feral – a convenient excuse to kill.
    There is a blood test to detect rabies, but CDC deems it unreliable. So, why hasn’t anyone perfected the testing?
    I think the witch should have been euthanized and her head cut off and sent for testing!

  7. Rose says:

    Ugly bloated woman she soon ran like a coward when the cat fought back and I agree that she deserves some horrible punishment for her cruelty and for reporting the cat knowing he’d be killed if suspected of rabies.

    • Caroline says:

      Yes, she did appear to be feeling very sorry for herself, perhaps knowing that it was on caught on video, otherwise, why make such a dramatic scene as she hurries up the stairs? She acts like a three-yr-old in her gestures. I am feeling very sad for that cat, alone in the world, abused by the authorities, and then killed. Insensitive, obtuse and truly not compassionate.

  8. Sharon Harper says:

    I can’t watch the video. I have no tolerance for people who are mean and cruel to animals. I hope that she never tries to “rescue” another animal. She is just pure EVIL and there is a place reserved for people like this in a certain hot spot.

    • Michael says:

      Sharon. The cat is not hurt. The woman is hurt. You’ll be impressed with Buddy! It is a rare case of the domestic cat getting the upper hand in an argument with a person. But in the end the cat loses – don’t they always in a dispute with humans?

  9. Ruth aka Kattaddorra says:

    Well I hope that cat did have rabies and that the woman has caught it, sorry if anyone thinks that’s harsh but she deserves no sympathy at all and evil people like her will never ever get any sympathy from me.

    • marc says:

      I agree Ruth – it’s almost more evil that she had a fairly close relationship with the cat. I mean how cruel to just kill him right after feeding him probably. I honestly hope this woman gets diagnosed with terminal something or other and doesn’t live long enough to ‘save’ another cat.

      • Ruth aka Kattaddorra says:

        Me too Marc, I’m feeling really angry at the human race right now because today is full of horror stories, sometimes I want to run and hide from this fight against abuse of animals as it seems hopeless that we can ever stop it.

      • Caroline says:

        That’s the first thing I thought of, after noting the dog and the surveillance camera(conjecturing), why that poor cat doesn’t need an insensitive human like that “taking it in.” Bad luck. Stupid woman! Hope the cat was not infected, and the only reason I say that b/c it’s moot now, is that when it comes back negative it will make them ALL look stupid, and maybe reassess every aspect of what evolved.

    • Caroline says:

      That doesn’t sound evil, unless you thought they had to put her down, first. 😉 🙂

    • Michael says:

      Agreed but you can sure that this cat did not have rabies. The animal control people just wanted to kill him for attacking the woman. I may be biased but I think that is a factor.

  10. Marc says:

    …and does anyone declare the findings of the rabies test???? Is that even of any importance to the sub humans who decided he should die oir was it just an excuse to kill him out of revenge? She could not have loved Buddy to have him killed. She needs to be locked up.

    My god. Animals must think we are here to make this planet a living hell or something.

    • Marc says:

      by the way – having read the article I can’t bring myself to watch the video, sorry. It makes me too sad. I don’t understand how a woman can take in a stray and then kill it.

      • Michael says:

        I’d watch the video because for a while the cat wins! Very impressive attack on a person! But a cat can’t win because if he does people don’t like it and they retaliate by killing him.

        • marc says:

          I still can’t watch it – not to sound ignorant but it will just make me sad to see a cat who is no longer alive.

          • Caroline says:

            Marc, I forced myself to watch it without reading the text, and that is only b/c I was motivated by Michael’s title/synopsis when it landed in my email. Then I read the text. The video shows how insensitive, uncaring and stupid the woman is. Far too many individuals like her in the world. My anger rises above my sadness. I’m not sure how I can make a difference, but the anger in me is a stronger motivator than my sadness. Besides that I woke up late. What is a small thing that I can do to make a difference? Looking for advice here.

            I haven’t researched this yet, but am planning to. Even hopefully insightful comments I leave might possibly motivate one other commentor on the youtube site, etc. to look at it from the cat’s perspective, you know? Hopefully. I don’t know what else to do.

            By the way, when I saw that green blanket in the cat tree room, it reminded me instantly of a tent like the private spaces I made as a child. I was afraid to comment on your wonderful “forest” for fear that it would be taken as too fussy in an obsessive way I’m told that i’m very obsessive. And I also immediately wanted to ask you about the grey hammock, how you got it to hang so securely. (the ties I noticed but couldn’t figure it out) I could tell that it had been used alot, and then w/the next posting I saw Molly? and Gigi nestled within. Maybe I can comment on it yet on the appropriate page?

          • Michael says:

            Don’t worry. I totally understand. I have to tell you! After the woman kicks snow onto the cat, the cat suddenly flies at her, jumping high up and grabbing her around the head and biting. Magnificent true cat aggression. The woman falls to the ground with the cat at her face and wrestles the cat off her (just). She runs into the house. I was shocked and in awe.

            1-0 to cat.

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