Animal abuser strikes

BY SCOTT MORGAN

Charles the cat is lucky to be alive after being drenched in engine oil twice in the last six months.

The one-year-old tabby was found by owner Vyvyan Hunt late last month covered in the oil and has since had to have all of his fur shaved off.

It’s the second time this year Charles has come home in such a state, raising suspicions someone in Mrs Hunt's neighbourhood in the Auckland suburb of Epsom is abusing animals.

“I couldn’t believe my eyes. He looked like a creature from outer space,” she says.

“It seems like a deliberate thing. He was completely submerged in it – it wasn’t just on part of him.”

Along with refusing to eat for several days after ingesting the oil from licking his coat, Charles ran through Mrs Hunt’s house, ruining several rugs and a bedspread.

“The first time I was here and able to grab him,” she says.

“This last time I was out, so there was a trail of oil through the house. It cost a lot of money to get fixed.

“You do get fond of animals and the last thing you want is for them to be treated in a cruel way like that.”

She says the whole family, including her grandchildren, are upset by the incident.

Following the second incident, Mrs Hunt’s son Peter did a pamphlet drop in the area in a bid to find out if any neighbours had an issue with Charles.

But instead, the letterbox drop revealed more suspicious cases of cat abuse in the wider area.

Some neighbours reported their cats had also returned home covered in oil, while other cats had gone missing altogether.

“The feedback just confirmed my suspicions,” he says.

SPCA chief executive Robyn Kippenberger says it’s not uncommon for cats to suffer from abuse.

“One of the things about cats is they’re not contained easily.

“The common thread is it’s very, very difficult to find the perpetrators because cats roam quite a long way.”

She says younger people are normally the ones responsible for abusive behaviour towards animals.

“Generally we’re looking for kids, unless the adult is really disturbed.

“We go to schools and tell kids it’s not okay to hurt animals and to please tell us if they see anything.”  

Ms Kippenberger says if abusive behaviour towards animals goes unchecked, it can develop into more disturbing behaviour.

“If it’s being done repeatedly it’s a worry because eventually the behaviour escalates to the animal dying.

“Harming small animals can also escalate into harming people.”

- © Fairfax NZ News