Cat killing investigated

Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer

Social media has been abuzz in recent days with reports of cats being killed in the Maple Street/Birch Avenue area of Penticton, but RCMP said Monday they have only heard of one such incident.

Sgt. Rick Dellebuur said police have one report of a person finding her cat dead in an empty lot.

The woman feels a group of youths did this, but there is nothing to support her allegations at this time, he said.

"We are looking into it. When something like this happens, often social media drags up past events or what have you," he said. "I am not aware of any roving gang going around killing cats in Penticton at this time."

Coreen Kendrick, the owner of the cat that was found dead, hopes the police will continue to take this seriously and keep looking into it. 

It was last Wednesday night, that she recognized something wasn't right when her cat, Rufus, didn't come back in.

"I said something is wrong and called his name, but didn't go further into the empty lot. My daughter got her coat on and went outside. She came back in and said she saw Rufus and he was lying down," she said. "I came out, picked him up and knew he was dead. His head was bashed in and there was blood on his teeth."

She told the manager of her apartment complex and an upstairs neighbour, who told her later he saw the youths that did it.

He claimed there were four youths yelling outside, laughing and saying, "do it again." He yelled at them and went outside and they ran off.

He said seven of them returned to the scene but then ran away. The kids were also in clown makeup, like that worn by followers of the band, Insane Clown Posse, he claimed.

Kendrick subsequently called the RCMP and told them she thought it was a group of youths who killed the cat.

"I'm grieving and crying every day. Just the way he went," she said. "I picture it in my mind and it makes me sad."

Kendrick claims five days before Rufus was found dead, a kitten was found with its head smashed in, in the downtown area.

Her advice to other pet owners is to keep their animals inside.

"We think it's more than one cat, and think it's these kids going out at night and doing this," she said.