BETHESDA, MD Alley Cat Allies, which has long held a policy of zero tolerance for cruelty to animals, is currently investigating and speaking to authorities about the case of Samuel Wood, a Wisconsin resident who boasts on his Facebook page of killing cats and other animals.
“Taking pleasure in hurting another living thing is repulsive,” said Becky Robinson, president and founder of Alley Cat Allies. “The link between violence against animals and violence against people is well understood, so it’s critical to take animal cruelty seriously. It is unacceptable, deviant behavior. The fact that only a small percentage of cases results in criminal prosecution is a failure of our justice system.”
Waushara County Sheriff Jeff Nett told Alley Cat Allies that the picture of the cat captured in a lethal trap on Wood’s Facebook page is a picture pulled from elsewhere on the Internet, and that he’s found no evidence that Wood is using a trap like this or violating the law. The trap shown in the photo uses a spring-loaded mechanism to snap the neck of any curious animal unfortunate enough to encounter it.
“Even if Mr. Wood’s claims are just empty boasts from someone seeking Internet fame, we condemn his encouragement of killing and torturing cats,” Robinson continued. “His rhetoric gives license to the perpetuation of this cruel behavior by others.”
Alley Cat Allies is still reviewing the matter to make sure that the letter of the law in Waushara County and Wisconsin is being followed, and will advocate for stronger laws if those in place prove to be insufficient to protect cats.
Cats have been an important part of our outdoor environment for thousands of years. Mr. Wood’s cat-killing ideas are completely out of touch with that of mainstream America, where 80 percent of people believe that leaving a stray cat outside is more humane than having the cat caught and killed.
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About Alley Cat Allies
Alley Cat Allies, headquartered in Bethesda, Md., is the only national advocacy organization dedicated to the protection and humane treatment of cats. Founded in 1990, today Alley Cat Allies has more than 650,000 supporters and helps tens of thousands of individuals, communities, and organizations save and improve the lives of millions of cats and kittens nationwide. Its website is www.alleycat.org, and Alley Cat Allies is active on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ and YouTube.
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