Why did this woman shoot her sick cat rather than take him to a veterinarian?
We are told that a 73-year-old woman, Nancy Just, allowed her cat to become ill for months and then asked a neighbour to shoot him (and offered to pay). When he refused she shot her cat the next day with two bullets. She buried her cat in the backyard. Eight days later her neighbour reported the matter to Animal Control. They found the decomposed body buried in the backyard after questioning her.
“The next day, in the morning… I heard, pop pop and I went over there and talk to her later on and I said ‘you did it didn’t you Nancy? She said yeah.'” (testimony of the neighbour who was asked to shoot her cat)
It is extraordinary that this long time (20 years) cat owner ended up doing what she did. It seems inexplicable. Perhaps she was short of money and had decided that her cat was terminally ill and wanted to euthanise him. Or she foresaw huge vet bills and wanted to avoid them. The only way she could achieve these objecives was to shoot him. At the time she felt that she was unable to do it herself so she asked her neighbour. He who refused and therefore in desperation she shot her cat herself.
This is my explanation but it is guesswork. In my view it is a version of animal cruelty and a violation of animal welfare laws but apparently allowed in certain places in America. Whether she is successfully prosecuted or not will be a different matter.
Animal Control rightly say that under no circumstances is a person allowed to shoot their cat. What they’re saying is that it would be a violation of the criminal law. Some cat haters would disagree with that and they would be wrong.
The story is reported on wavy.com and they say that a judge has released her from jail on condition that she returns at the next court hearing in July. That means that she has been arrested and charged but I have no details.
Some people, cat haters normally, would argue that she euthanised her cat with a bullet to the head and therefore the cat did not suffer. I am sure that that will be her defence if there is a trial.
It does, however, highlight the necessity to have sufficient funds to look after your cat properly. It can be expensive. People shy away from veterinarians because of the expense. This leads to all kinds of additional problems such as the one described.
Many many thanks, Windy, for supporting me in this article. It is nice to receive support sometimes because I do stick my neck out a little bit and occasionally I get shot down by people who don’t see anything wrong in shooting cats.
KILL is the word NOT dispatch.Your FIL KILLED all of his PETS with a gun.We use guns to shoot & kill not to “dispatch”.I guess using the word dispatch helps you not to think of how those poor animals lives must have been.Glad to read that you know better & cannot tolerate such acts towards animals.Must be very difficult for you having such barbarians for inlaws.
I agree with you 100% Michael!You are right & anyone who says that shooting their sick old pet in the head, is sick in their own head & needs some sort of counseling to help them evolve.
You are right Michael.We should take all animals that are ill to a vet to be looked after or euthanized humanely if that is the case.Unfortunately many people where I live view an animal like a thing.They view a cat like a vase that can be disposed of whenever they feel is necessary.I’ve known people who have euthanized their cat because she/he became ill & they didn’t want to spend money or time to have the poor animal treated. The fact that they are allowed to do so in the first place bothers me.I watch British shows about veterinary care & I notice that the veterinarians will tell their clients when euthanization is NOT an option in their cases.Sometimes the bill is £6000 & the pet owners of England will do what is necessary to care for their pet!And not all are rich, most are modest working people who love their pets & recognize their pet as a member of their family – which they are!Here if my cat gets out & steps in someone’s yard they will threaten to make him disappear….As Dr.Scott says, England is a nation of pet lovers.I wish I could say the same for Canada or for my neighbours to the south. Poor cat having his life end in such a way.Then again is whole long life probably was filled with mistreatment – poor little creature. Thanks for continuing on trying to get people to evolve Michael.
Windy.B
Reading the article on wavy it seems part of the charges will stem from neglect. In Virginia Beach it appears it is indeed illegal to dispatch your own pet as they provide this service if the pet owner cannot afford the care. The house also appears to be residential and more charges will probably come from discharging a fire arm as well as neglect/animal cruelty.
It is not uncommon here nor is it illegal to dispatch your own pet, or livestock.
AVMA lists euthanasia as an acceptable medical treatment. There are however strict gun laws on where and how close to other dwellings you can discharge your weapon.
My FIL has dispatched all of his dogs and cats with a gun rather than provide any type of veterinary treatment. I believe they were too embarrassed and afraid to take them to a clinic where they might find themselves charged with cruelty.
One of the problems here is the long standing idea that having a pet is a right not a responsibility and taking into account the cost of each pet. In most states she would face animal cruelty charges for not taking a pet for medical treatment including euthanasia and for discharging a weapon too close to someone else’s dwelling but not the actual shooting of her own cat. Most ASPCAs will help if you cannot afford to help your pet.
I do not in any way associate with my in laws on any level anymore over their treatment of pets and livestock. They are deplorable.