Posted: 4:27 PM May 3, 2012
Reporter: Casey Wheeless

Woman's Cat Trapped and Euthanized

A Woman's search for her missing cat ended after she found he had been trapped, taken to the Humane Society and euthanized.

The Humane Society is upset with what happened and say they didn't mean to euthanize someone's pet.

They say because of a lack of funding they cannot take in every animal they are brought.

Apparent "cat traps" have been set up in the neighborhoods, which are legal, however the owner of this cat wasn't aware they were there.

"I think it's absolutely horrific they're catching people's pets, they caught my pet," says Emily Coulter.

Coulter went looking for her cat, Biscuit almost two weeks ago.

"I fed him and he went outside, it had been a few days so I got worried," she says.

After posting missing signs and making several phone calls she found Biscuit, but it was too late.

"He was brought in a cat trap from the 800 block of Magnolia and was euthanized, almost immediately, at the Humane Society without being taken out of the trap," she says.

Officials at the Humane Society say when Biscuit came in he wasn't tagged or micro-chipped to show ownership, but Coulter says he was neutered.

"Why couldn't you give him a minute, just a minute to calm down?," she says.

Lori Hare, Executive Director at the Humane Society says because of a lack of funding and room, they can't take in every animal, but she says they're upset about what happened to Biscuit.

"There's no worse feeling than putting down an animal just because there's not a cage for it to go into, or there aren't enough homes. When you're full and on a good adoption day you have 2 to 3 adoptions," says Hare.

State law says shelters must wait 5 days before euthanizing dogs, however no such law is in effect for cats.

Hare says when animals come in they check for ownership.

She says they've had to shut down their Facebook page after several threats from people in the community.

None of these people are in relationship to Coulter.

"Even on our home phones of threats, and the really sad part about that is we never wanted this to happen," she says.

For Coulter nothing will bring Biscuit back, but she asks the Humane Society and other shelters to slow down before an animal's life is taken.

"Just give them a minute to calm down when they are scared and in the cage, and just give them a minute to be found," says Coulter.

Hare says they receive 20 to 30 animals a day, and the overcrowding problem will continue unless people spay and neuter their pets.

Hare even talked about getting funding to make micro-chipping free to the community in honor of Biscuit.

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