Investigation Underway After Several Cats Found Dead And Possibly Tortured In Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - An investigation is underway after several cats were found dead in two Pittsburgh neighborhoods.
It's not uncommon to see kitties roaming around Pittsburgh's Bloomfield neighborhood, but neighbors never expected to spot a dead cat in a plastic bag on a sidewalk on Taylor Street. A humane police officer said a USB-type cord was wrapped around the feline's neck.
"One of my friends was walking his dog and I happened to not be home and he texted me a picture and said this is what I'm pretty sure is a dead cat in a bag on your street and I was like, oh, my God," Nikki Surmacy said.
When Surmacy got home on Tuesday, she was saddened when she saw the bag right near her house.
"You could kind of see something sticking out, kind of see it was furry, and that was as close I got to it," she said.
To make things even worse, she learned it wasn't the only cat found dead in the area.
Pittsburgh police said they were made aware that a number of cats were found dead and possibly tortured. A humane officer said the cat in the bag was one of at least four cats found dead possibly in the Bloomfield and Friendship neighborhoods.
Investigators are looking into information from witnesses that another cat may have been beaten and two cats were possibly struck by vehicles.
"My friend, his cat actually got run over and hit and left the day or two before," Surmacy said.
Pittsburgh police and Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh are in the early stages of their investigation. They are still trying to determine the exact locations, the timeline and how the cats died.
"There are always cats walking around and they don't do any harm really. And some of them are people's cats that just roam around," said Surmacy.
If someone hurt these kitties, residents in and around Bloomfield want the person or people to be caught as soon as possible.
"I hope whoever did it gets prosecuted or whatever can be done to them, because I love animals and they are helpless. You can't really do anything, so I think it's terrible whoever is doing it and I hope they are found and caught," she said.
Animal control picked up the cat in the bag and did not find a microchip, but humane police officers plan to check again and are waiting to see if a necropsy can be performed on the cat.
Investigators ask anyone who witnessed what happened to the cats to call the police or Humane Animal Rescue officer at 412-345-7300 ext. 245.
