A man living in Johnson City, Tennessee has reportedly been charged after he killed a cat playing with a Christmas tree. The reports don’t tell me if he owned the cat and/or the tree.
Court documents have been obtained by an online news media organisation, WCYB, which show that Aaron Duke Rover, 24, has been charged with one count of aggravated animal cruelty.
It appears that the man brought the injured cat into the Washington County Johnson City Animal Shelter on November 30. He claimed that he had found the cat already injured.
However, a friend of the man’s fiancée has sworn under oath (an affidavit) that a video of the incident recording Rover injuring the cat had been shown to the authorties.
The cat died from his injuries the following day and two days after the cat was brought into the shelter an animal control officers spoke with Mr Rover. He admitted that he had struck the cat for messing with a Christmas tree.
Mr Rover has appeared at a preliminary hearing in a Washington County courtroom and he is due back in court on February 4, 2020.
Comment: this is a heavily ironic cat news story because here we are at Christmas, a time of happiness and joy, or that is what it is meant to be, and this man has caused misery for a companion animal and people.
It’s a time also when it is known that domestic cats like to play with Christmas trees and therefore there must be a high degree of tolerance of their behaviour at this time of year. If people can’t tolerate it they should either not put up a Christmas tree where there is a domestic cat or take some steps to protect the tree. The steps should not in any way be cruel or unkind towards the cat.
Taking the cat to a shelter was an attempt to avoid crimimal charges.
Source: NEWS CHANNEL abc 12.
SOME ARTICLES ON CHRISTMAS AND CATS:
