7 cats found dead in container; West Bend man arrested in animal cruelty case
West Bend man arrested in animal cruelty case
Police say a West Bend man admitted to dumping eight cats in a sealed container, killing seven of them.
WEST BEND, Wis. - A 26-year-old West Bend man is under investigation after police say he admitted to dumping eight cats in a sealed plastic container near a dumpster, killing seven of them.
What we know:
Helena, a 1-year-old cat, is the only survivor. She is now in the care of the Washington County Humane Society as police pursue animal mistreatment charges.
"In this case there was one living cat, and seven deceased cats and we took in the living one to provide emergency care," said Joe Poczkalski of the Washington County Humane Society.
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On Sunday, the West Bend Police Department responded to 9th Avenue, where they found the sealed container placed by a dumpster, holding all eight cats. Seven were dead.
"Intentional violence is really difficult to process," Poczkalski said. "We don’t see a ton of that in our area."
Dig deeper:
Investigators say the man told police he disposed of the cats because he and his girlfriend could not afford to feed them. The couple had 11 cats in their home, and police say he got rid of eight of them while she was out of town.
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"I think most of us were shocked to hear the nature of how these cats were treated," Poczkalski said. "We see so many things throughout the year and we’ve had difficult cases to stomach but this one stood out to us."
The Washington County Humane Society says affordability is a frequent reason animals are surrendered – but that there are humane ways to seek help. The man arrested was taken to jail on seven counts of mistreatment to animals causing death.
The district attorney’s office says charges are still pending.
What's next:
As for Helena, the lone surviving cat, the Humane Society says it is still working with police to determine whether she will be adoptable.
"She is doing much better than when she came in," said Kelly Welter with the Washington County Humane Society. "She had a really high fever."
The Source: The Washington County Humane Society and West Bend Police Department provided information.