Injured Cat Shot Four Times at Local Animal Shelter: PETA Wants Action

For Immediate Release:
June 21, 2024

Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382

After a whistleblower informed PETA that an injured cat who had been brought into the LaGrange Animal Shelter was shot to death at the facility, the group filed a formal complaint with the Georgia Department of Agriculture pointing out that using gunshot to kill animals at sheltering and control facilities is prohibited by state law, which mandates euthanasia via injection.

The whistleblower told PETA that on May 24 they witnessed an orange tabby cat being dropped off at the shelter in a carrier by his guardian, who told staffers that the animal had been hit by a car and that she couldn’t provide him with needed veterinary care. The eyewitness reported that a shelter worker placed the carrier outside in 85-degree heat—giving the cat no access to adequate shade or water—and that then, hours later, a shelter worker and a police officer apparently used the officer’s gun to shoot into the carrier four times. The two men allegedly didn’t check to see whether the cat was dead before dumping the carrier into a trash bag and taking it inside the building. On June 14, PETA received confirmation from Chief of Police Garrett Fiveash that the cat had been shot at the shelter.

“Suffering animals like this badly injured cat depend on animal shelters and officers of the law to abide by the law and act with compassion and professionalism, especially during an animal’s final moments,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “There is no excuse for the needless suffering and violence this cat was subjected to, and it’s vital that officials implement a legal and humane method of euthanasia available 24/7 at the LaGrange Animal Shelter.”

PETA notes that it’s critical for publicly funded animal shelters to be able to perform euthanasia, as they frequently receive animals who have been hit by cars, badly abused and neglected, and grievously injured in other ways.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.