MESHOPPEN — Six cats have died in the last week and a half in Wyoming County, all in one neighborhood, others are sick.
Monday afternoon, one of those cats that died in Meshoppen went to a veterinarian’s office for a necropsy. That is to determine if indeed the animal was poisoned.
Those who live there are pretty sure that’s case and are very disgusted about it.
Outside Ruth Olivers home she has a sign up here now, warning people about what she believes are poisoned cats.
“They’re poisoning them there is no doubt in my mind they are poisoning them. Somebody is poisoning them,” said Oliver.
Oliver and a group of women in Meshoppen feed stray cats. The women trap them, get them spayed, then find them homes.
She thinks someone put poison in one of their feeding stations, sickening numerous cats, killing at least six. Oliver showed us photos of some of them. They weren’t all strays
“It is heart wrenching to watch your animal die. Your pet that you treat like a baby. It is excruciating watching them die such a painful, unnecessary brutal death,” said Oliver.
Now she has two of her cats buried in her backyard.
“For four days I held him in my arms and he vomited and he cried and his little body got stiff and cold,” she said.
There was a rally over the weekend here in Meshoppen people were holding signs saying please don’t poison our pets. They’ve even put up these signs all over town saying there’s a reward trying to get information about those that are doing this and stop them.
“Nothing you can do for them. Once that poison gets in there it just eats their insides all out and they bleed out,” said Judy Krafjack, of Meshoppen.
Krafjack works at People’s National Bank. She takes donations here to help with the mission caring for stray cats in Meshoppen.
Now she’s collecting reward money to catch the possible poisoners.
“It’s disheartening that someone is so sick to go and do that. They’re the scum of the earth as far as I’m concerned,” said Krafjack.
The necropsy results on one of the dead cats could take a couple of weeks. The food believed to be poisoned is also being tested.
Those who care for stray cats in Meshoppen warn those with house cats to keep them inside for now.
