A Texas judge last week upheld sanctions against Kristen Lindsey, the veterinarian who killed a cat with a bow and arrow in 2015 and bragged about it on Facebook. Lindsey has filed an appeal of this decision, and her case will now go to the state appeals court.
On July 20, Lindsey unsuccessfully challenged the suspension of her veterinary license in the 250th Civil District Court of Travis County. The judge upheld the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners’ October 2016 decision to suspend Lindsey’s veterinary license for one year, followed by four years of practicing on a probationary basis, as punishment for killing the cat, named Tiger.
Despite the leniency of this penalty, Lindsey appealed the Board’s decision to the district court, claiming it was unlawful. Thankfully, attorneys for the state of Texas demonstrated that her arguments had no merit, and her license suspension remains in place.
Alley Cat Allies has been involved in the case from the beginning. We attended the administrative proceedings concerning Lindsey’s license, strongly condemned Lindsey’s cruelty, and called for the harshest punishment possible. Though we were deeply disappointed that Lindsey’s veterinary license was only suspended instead of permanently revoked, we are pleased that the judge upheld the suspension.
Next, the 3rd Court of Appeals will review Lindsey’s case. We urge the court to uphold the sanctions. Lindsey deserves to serve out her full punishment for her horrifying actions, and for breaking the public trust placed in veterinarians.
Lindsey also has a separate case pending in the Court of Appeals against the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners. She is challenging the validity of the Board rules used to discipline her. Lindsey argued that the Board exceeded its authority in punishing her because she was not convicted of animal cruelty and was not practicing veterinary medicine when she killed Tiger.
Be sure to check back with us for updates, and read more about this case in our Kristen Lindsey Special Report.