(STORY IMAGE:KHQ.COM)
SPOKANE, Wash. -Eric Thompson thought his 13-year-old cat was missing until one of his neighbors knocked on his door.
“She came over here a couple of nights ago,” said Thompson. “And said, ‘do you have a black cat?’ I said yeah.”
According to that neighbor, Kaydee Miller, and Thompson, the cat was in another neighbor’s backyard, stuck inside a trap.
“It’s disgusting,” said Miller. “I’m a huge animal lover and it’s my worst nightmare as a neighbor.”
Thompson got his cat back, but not before an altercation with the people who he says trapped the cat.
“The male occupant of the house did not deny that he had traps, he did not deny that he was bating traps, and he did not deny that he had a black cat,” said Thompson. “I said ‘I need my cat back, it’s a member of my family.’”
According to SCRAPS, the police were called to the South Hill neighborhood for an assault. The details have not been confirmed by Spokane Police, buy Thompson says he was punched in the face then cut with a sharp garden tool.
According to SCRAPS, it is not illegal to trap or bate cats in the state of Washington, especially if it’s on your own property. Director, Nancy Hill, told KHQ that they are not investigating the situation and don’t plan on it unless it rises to the level of animal cruelty.
Miller provided pictures of the traps to KHQ. In those pictures, you can see what appears to be a small amount of blood inside the traps.
“These are people’s pets,” said Miller. “The cat they trapped the other night is a 13-year-old cat that has lived here its entire life.”
Miller says the neighbors are trapping the cats by putting food inside of them. She says she’s been watching this activity for three months.