By Elisa Black-Taylor
This is the story of Elizabeth, a cat from South Carolina who was thrown into an open fire by a 13 year old boy. Her owner’s were unable to keep her after this horrific crime was committed, and turned her over to the Darlington County Humane Society Rescue (DCHSR). Forgive the length of this article, but it’s complicated. It also shows just how accurate my article Kids Killing Cats, written several years ago, is on the serious issue of animal abusers. In my opinion, this 13 year old is well on his way to more serious crimes.
To catch up on Elizabeth, I ask you to read what started out as a “donation” article, and has escalated to a crusade for justice for this one little cat named Elizabeth..
I do a lot of articles for shelters and rescues needing help with major medical bills resulting from the cruelty inflicted by man. The entire Elizabeth series can be found on this article at the bottom under “recommended reading.”
Elizabeth is a case that demands justice. This sweet black kitty was thrown into a fire back in November, after which her family took her to DCHSR almost a week later when they finally found her. Instead of euthanizing Elizabeth, the decision was made to give her the chance to live, despite being burned on over 70% of her body. The folks at the shelter saw the fighting spirit within Elizabeth, and a fund was created to help with her medical bills.
Elizabeth was soon transferred to a facility where she could receive 24/7 care for her burns. This included debriding, changing bandages and keeping the wound clean. Caring for Creatures, a Virginia based rescue made plans to transfer her to their sanctuary once Elizabeth was able to travel.
Sadly, the wonderful plans for Elizabeth ended December 3, when she succumbed to her injuries around 12:30 a.m. Elizabeth didn’t die alone. She was surrounded by her vet, and the staff who had fallen in love with this sweet brave kitty. The phone call to the Darlington shelter telling of her death came as a shock. Although Elizabeth had “crashed” twice the day before, she had rallied, being the fighter she was. To hear she had died left a hole in the hearts of all who heard her story.
Now, instead of Elizabeth having a wonderful future at a cat sanctuary, another cat will be chosen by Caring for Creatures. Both the Darlington shelter and the sanctuary are planning to start fundraisers in her memory to help other cats like Elizabeth. Her death wasn’t in vain.
Unfortunately, her tormentor will likely escape any punishment for what he did. He’s been charged, but there’s no way to make the punishment fit the crime. It’s just too horrific for any penalty a cat lover feels he deserves to be doled out. Fate, however, has a way of catching up with people like this teen. His name and address likely won’t be published online, due to his age. I only hope that someday he has to answer to someone for what he did.
There’s a lot of hate on the internet right now for not only this evil child (I’m sorry, I have no sympathy left for him), but for others who seem to have gone insane in South Carolina.
At this time, I’m keeping up with a dog whose nails were ripped from its paws, then dragged behind a truck. Fortunately, the rope broke and the dog was taken for treatment. The prognosis is good. I’ve also done a few “family” articles where family members have inflicted pain on each other because of food. One story was a case of a missing cheese packet in a box of mac and cheese.
Has the world gone crazy? I hate to think of any sane person committing crimes against family, or crimes again animals. What I really wonder is at what age these abusers got their start, and what, if anything, the court system did to stop them. Are some children just born monsters? I’ve done some research and found many children show signs of future animal cruelty by the age of three. I’m not talking about children with mental illness. I’m talking about the possibility that some children are just born that way. They enjoy hurting things.
There’s a vigilante attitude online these days. Maybe that’s bad, but perhaps it’s a step in the right direction. Because the only way I can see right now with ending the abuse is for neighbors to take back their neighborhoods when they see animal abuse happening around them. The term “lynch mob” comes to mind.
South Carolina is known for its lax animal cruelty laws. A puppy mill owner can open another puppy mill the day he’s released from jail. A young person or “minor” as we call them, often get no punishment at all. Your comments are welcome on any of this. I just wanted to let everyone know the special place Elizabeth had in the hearts of those who heard her story. Rest in peace, sweet girl. You didn’t deserve any of this.
That’s why I’m against abortion– one reason. It leads to a throw away mentality toward human life. Supporters claim that it reduces child abuse because every child is wanted, but I think the opposite is true– as with the killing of millions of unwanted pets in shelters. This reality leads to worse, not better, treatment of the those that do manage to survive. Because if something can just be killed with impunity, then how can it have intrinsic value? I just read an article about kids of parents who had aborted other children. Instead of feeling more valuable, because they were wanted, the surviving children feel less valuable because they know that their siblings were just thrown away. They actually can have some really serious mental health issues.
At least animals aren’t aware of how so many of their brothers and sisters are being thrown away. Or maybe they are. Does Monty know anything of the many cats who were killed at Animal Control during the time he spent there before I could talk my husband into letting me go back for him? I’m not faulting the care he received while there– it was excellent. But at the same time, those giving that care were killing healthy cats. I looked it up and over 600 cats died the same month that I adopted Monty. The killing was going on while he was there. How can workers take care of an animal for a week and then at the end of the week have to kill him or her? It happens over and over and over.
So, yes, it is hard to make the case for why animal abusers should be punished severely. The constant killing of companion animals in shelters is legal and does send the message that those animals are not valuable. Just as abortion being legal sends the message that babies aren’t valuable. Young mothers who kill their babies get almost no punishment. In Milwaukee 16 kids were smothered to death in 2013 when their mothers drank too much or did drugs and then took their tiny infants with them into their own beds and rolled over onto them. Not ONE of those mothers has been charged with anything. There has been no public outrage. The few people who are outraged say, “If it was a puppy who was smothered, then you’d see people get angry.” But I disagree. Because the kid who burned this cat is going to walk away without any serious penalty. Animal abusers get away with it all the time, just like child abusers. There is very little public outrage over the crimes committed against the most vulnerable in our society. Perhaps if we stopped the legal killing of the most vulnerable members of our society…
I hate this and could barely read this, Elisa.
I know you would want for me to read more, but I can’t.
This sort of thing messes with my sanity.
This is exactly the sort of thing scientists should be working on instead of nonsense.
Sometimes I wonder if there are people who are just born evil. The “spocks” need to research that.
Good point – if kids are brought up knowing that unwanted animals are killed then it only goes to show why such things could happen in the first place.
For all that’s wrong with Switzerland – there are things which are right – and things like that just don’t happen here. If something like that did happen it would be taken very seriously indeed.
It makes me very sad. It damages us and society because it is indicative of a deep problem within society.
I think what this child did is an extension of what happens all over the US, millions of cats killed at shelters for no reason other than no one wants them.
It is the throwaway mentality. If something can be thrown away it can be thrown on the fire.
Kids below the age of ten cannot be said to criminal in the UK. I think his name would be withheld here but he would be charged and punished. He’d probably end up in a youth offenders institution (prison for kids) for several months, not much longer.
I have a feeling that it is not dissimilar in the UK with respect to a body of youths within society who are what you might call “sociopathic” – having no sense of responsibility towards society and others. Simply not being cognisant of the consequences of their actions.
It is a sort of breakdown in society and I have a fear that we are in a downwards spiral and that things will get worse. I certainly don’t see things getting better.
For a child to throw a cat on a fire, that child must have a complete lack of sensibility towards others.
Where does it come from? God, if we knew that for sure, perhaps we could prevent these terrible crimes.