They went duck hunting and ended up hunting household cats but of course they’d probably say they were feral cats (how can you tell?) and that they had a legal right to do what they did. Wrong. They were household cats and the police believe they have found the woman who is their caretaker. Even if they were feral cats, shooting them for sport should be illegal but the laws can be rather opaque in this area in the USA.
Demonstrating the typically callous and insensitive behavior of cat haters, or people who enjoy shooting cats, they had the audacity – and stupidity – to have someone photograph them holding up their cat trophies and then to post the photos online on a social media website (Facebook?).
This is combining stupidity with arrogance together with a dash of nastiness and a splash of blood (one of the cats was still bleeding, can you believe it?).
I apologize for showing the photo but I believe it has to be shown to bring it home to people how callous and cruel their behavior is. Also we need to study their faces – the face of ignorance and arrogance.
With great good fortune the local county sheriff is a decent man. On the St. Francis County Sheriff website they have this apt motto:
I couldn’t agree more and we know which category Raymond Verhoeven and Bradley Taylor fall into.
Sheriff May says:
“It’s horrible and when I first saw the photographs, I was just appalled and sickened…The cats, they’re holding the cats like they’re trophies..You know, to them, they’re being brave and showing off bravado but really, they’re just yellow cowards because only a coward would do that.”
The public forwarded the sickening photos to the sheriff’s office. The sheriff restates what we know, which is that animal abuse can often lead to and be an extension of people abuse.
The photographer will become a witness for the prosecution in a forthcoming trial.Taylor has been arrested and charged and Verhoeven has agreed to turn himself in.
The sheriff hopes to at least achieve a revocation of their hunting licenses if not more (max. 10 year prison sentence) if and when convicted.
I am impressed with what I read about this sheriff. Some are not as good. Some sheriffs even hunt domestic cats themselves.
hi Michael, I just thought I’d post this post that is happening over here in NZ in regards to Garth Morgan with His Cause to eliminate domestic Cats. It seems the Vet association is starting to believe what he says here is the link.
Thanks Kylee. I’ll check that out.
Its real. I didn’t want to upset the readers here but I covered the story http://www.examiner.com/article/arkansas-hunters-facing-charges-for-killing-cats-during-duck-hunting-trip
I feel so sorry for Ruthie Davis, the owner of those cats. It’s horrible that her pets were murdered, but that it took place so close to where she lives will be a hurtful, daily reminder.
I hope the judges also take her pain and suffering into consideration when deciding how to punish the culprits.