Owner Wants Dogs Who Killed Her Cat 'Put Down'

When two Russell Terriers wandered onto a neighbor's property at around 3 a.m. on March 4 and attacked a feral cat, which later died from its injuries, the dogs' owner was fined $242 and issued violations for failure to license, a roaming dog and creating a nuisance first offense. She was also found liable for $145 in damages for disposal of the cat's body.

But on Monday, the owner of the cat, who claims the dogs have roamed onto her property before, said she believes the penalties do not go far enough.

"I would like to see the dogs put down," said the cat owner, who asked not to be identified. "They went after me when I went out to grab my cat. I love dogs. I used to have dogs. I feel if these dogs went after my cats, what's to prevent them from going after a small child? I don't want to see a child get hurt."

Because the dogs' owner was not arrested, Patch is withholding her name.

The woman who owns the cat said she has four cats that live in the house and cared for five feral cats outside, one who was killed that she had named Hobo.

She said she found the feral cats eating from her mulch pile six years ago.

"It's taken years for me to gain trust with these cats," she said. "They would come when I called. I could pick them up. They each knew their name. They slept and ate in dog houses."

She had them all spayed and neutered and considers them to be domestic cats who live outside. Since the morning of the dog attack, she said three of the outdoor cats are unaccounted for.

"I think, even if they got scared and ran off, they would come around," she said. "I still put food in their spot and I'm not giving up hope."