Now more than ever, information is critical to achieve justice for Trooper. Alley Cat Allies continues to offer a $15,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) who shot Trooper the cat with an orange-tipped blowgun dart in Conover, North Carolina—an act of cruelty that ultimately took her life.
On June 26, a caregiver found Trooper with the dart in her side in a shopping center parking lot near a golf car shop at 6576 N NC Hwy 16 in the city of Conover. She may have received the injury days before she was discovered.
Alley Cat Allies is working with the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office as the investigation continues. However, new information is critical to secure an arrest and conviction. Anyone with tips or information is urged to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 828-466-5112 or to email [email protected].
Once rescuers rushed Trooper to the veterinarian, Alley Cat Allies immediately covered the costs of her emergency medical care. Although she survived the initial surgery to remove the dart and was attentively treated and cared for by expert veterinarians, the damage done by the dart was ultimately too severe. Trooper passed away in no pain.
“Alley Cat Allies continues to work closely with authorities investigating Trooper’s case. We are determined to see justice served in her memory, for her sake and for the sake of the cats and community of Conover,” said Coryn Julien, program communications officer at Alley Cat Allies. “We hope that the reward inspires someone to come forward with critical information that will secure not only a conviction, but also the strongest possible sentence for this heinous act of cruelty. Trooper deserves no less.”
Alley Cat Allies fights to end cruelty to cats in all forms. Our expert team addresses cruelty at every level, supporting prevention, investigation, prosecution, sentencing, victim care, education, and policy change. By bringing communities together in anti-cruelty action, we can make meaningful justice the standard rather than the exception.
Our multi-pronged approach includes leveraging the power and compassion of the public to expose and confront cruelty. Alley Cat Allies’ rewards led directly to arrests in cruelty cases when justice may not have otherwise been served. We seek that same outcome, and a stronger sentence, in Trooper’s case.
We also educate communities about how to recognize cruelty, how to report it effectively, and how cruelty to cats affects us all. Cruelty to animals has a well-studied and well-established link to violence against people, including child abuse and domestic violence. It is often predictive of, and occurs simultaneously with, other forms of violence.
Trooper deserves justice, as does her community, and we will continue to fight for her.
Again, anyone with information on who shot Trooper is urged to contact the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office at 828-466-5112 or at [email protected]. More information is available at alleycat.org. Alley Cat Allies reward terms and conditions can be found at alleycat.org/RewardTerms.