An update has been provided by a veterinarian at the Animal Health Center of British Columbia, regarding deceased cats that were found killed and dumped on Bain Road in March.
A necropsy was performed on one of the cats by the veterinarian who concluded that, for this particular cat, the cause of death was by blunt force trauma to the head. For legal reasons, he can’t specify the type of weapon that was used, but has urged other animal owners in the area to be cautious and to report any suspicious activity.
The veterinarian added he would like to continue to monitor the situation and to examine any other animals that may have been found in this manner.
Earlier this year, a Clearwater woman made an unsettling roadside discovery after she came across three dead cats that appeared to have been dumped on the side of the road.
The woman was walking her dogs on Bain Road on March 23, when she found the trio of bodies, according to Maddy Capostinsky of Maddy’s Paws and Claws, a local organization which takes care of stray and feral cats.
The woman told Capotinsky that she left the area momentarily and upon returning shortly after found the body of a fourth cat nearby.
“She contacted me and agreed to meet with me where they were,” Capostinsky said. “Then I placed them on the tailgate of my truck and went over them, took pictures and assessed them, tried to figure out how old they are.”
The incident was reported to RCMP and SPCA.
“I looked to see if they had an ID on them — tattoos or anything like that — and none of them did, so I put a post on Facebook asking if anyone was missing their cat and gave descriptions of what the cats looked like,” Capostinsky said.
Only one of the cats was claimed by an owner, who said they’d last seen their pet the morning of March 23.
Capostinsky had the bodies of the cats examined by a veterinarian, who determined they were likely asphyxiated – the first three roughly a month before their discovery, judging by the levels of decomposition.
Clearwater RCMP said this information hadn’t been shared with them, and investigators believe the cats may have been poisoned by someone trying to kill rats.
The cat that was claimed by its owner lived in the Flats neighbourhood of Clearwater, about 6 kilometres from the dump site.
Capotinsky believed the deaths were more suspicious than accidental poisoning.
She added residents in that neighbourhood would be wise to keep their cats indoors, and though that might be difficult for some, letting them out puts pets at risk.
Other advice Capostinksy gives would be to keep an eye out for snares in the neighbourhood as well as food that’s been placed outside like wet or dry cat food, cans of salmon or tuna, or even pieces of meat that might be poisoned.
“If anybody knows anything, come forward,” she said, adding the family of the claimed cat is quite upset about the death of its pet.
“The children are upset. The family is upset. It’s upsetting for a lot of people to have had to see and know that’s happening in that area. It needs to be stopped.”
