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The Animal Welfare Cause
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Loading...Texas Pastor Kills Neighbors’ Cat
A church pastor in Bastrop, Texas has been charged with animal cruelty. He is accused of throwing his neighbors’ cat off the downtown bridge. If convicted, he could face a fine of up to $4,000 and a jail sentence of up to one year.
Rick Bartlett, the pastor of Bastrop Christian Church, admitted to having his neighbors’ cat for three days before it died. He had set traps around his property and caught the cat on the 15th of this month, but then claims to have forgotten about it, and left it caged in the back of his pick-up truck until the 17th. The family of the cat, the Bells, were notified later that day that the cat had been found below the bridge, and died soon after. Its injuries were consistent with a fall but there is no evidence it was hit by a vehicle.
Though no witnesses have yet come forward, the possibility that Bartlett intentionally threw the cat off the bridge is not far-fetched. The cat could have jumped out of the moving vehicle, but since it was under his care, Bartlett is responsible for the cat’s death, and faces the same penalties either way.
This sad story follows closely on the heels of the incident in Arkansas, in which a Democrat running for congress found his cat dead with the word “liberal” painted on its body.
The Bells have a five-year-old daughter. In explaining why their cat was gone, mother Sarah told her daughter that “Moody” had gone to heaven. The little girl, who already knew the pastor was responsible for her cat’s death, said “I don’t believe in heaven anymore, Moody is just dead.”
Since Pastor Bartlett himself reportedly did not respond to interview requests, we can only speculate on what he was thinking, based on second-hand reports. He had told an animal control officer that he’d set traps because he had a problem with feral cats in his garden. And he did eventually bring the cat to the authorities, who immediately found the cat’s identifying information on its collar.
After that, Bartlett, having turned down an offer of an officer to bring the cat to its owners, saying he would do so himself, somehow ended up at home, while the cat ended up laying dying under a bridge. If Bartlett intentionally killed the cat, it must have been spontaneous, or why would he have gone to the authorities first (unless he was hoping they would euthanize it rather than return it to its family)? But even if the cat jumped out of the vehicle and off the bridge by itself, Bartlett still left it for dead and chose to say nothing to the family.
It’s not at all counter-intuitive to me that future serial killers often torture small animals as children. Psychopaths have no empathy for others, in effect, behaving as if they have no conscience at all. It’s true that for many people, a companion animal is no more a member of the family than a houseplant. But to decide that because you do not value an animal’s well-being, that you therefore don’t have to respect the lives of other people’s animal family members, is beyond the pale.
It goes without saying that Bartlett isn’t much of an animal lover. Is he actually psychopathic? I think he might be.
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Read more: animal cruelty, animal rights, animal welfare
Photo credit: Alvesgaspar
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+ add your ownCats should be allowed to roam freely, but humans should all be kept on short leashes.
Rick Bartlett, there is a very special place in hell waiting for you and it is full of cats with sharp teeth and claws.
Roger Q., have you not bothered to read a single comment from other members here? Not all cats are content to just lay around inside the house, and how would you suggest working dogs do their job if they had to be ON LEASH? Let's see, I can see it now, Border Collies herding sheep at the end of a leash with the humans desperately running alongside them, or K-9 Police dogs not being able to catch a thief because it had to stay alongside the handler on a leash, or a Retreiver that couldn't jump in the water after ducks unless the owner went with him. Yeah, right.
It's not right what happened to the cat, but that cat should not be outside unless on a leash. Same for dogs.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Nothing good has ever come out of Texas and nothing good ever will. I wish they would cecede from the Union. Aren't these the same morons who don't want to teach evolution. I hope there is a God because on judgement day there will be a sign on Heaven's gate, Texans need not apply for entrance.
Rick Bartlett should be ashamed of himself. He had absolutely no right to do anything with Moody than to give him back to his owners after he found out who they were. He must be a total jerk to do something like that to a cat. I feel sorry for the people in his church for having to listen to him telling lies about what happened.
Rest in peace little Moody.
How can people like this argue "Intelligent Design" on the one hand and destroy one of "God's creatures" on the other? Someone should find out if this dick ever had "All Creatures Great and Small" as a hymn at any of his gatherings... now that would be hypocrisy on a grand scale...
I don't trust Christians that easily. It's sad, but I don't. This is an excellent example as to why. If he will do this to a cat, what will he do to a person. I was bullied by Christians in college. On the receiving end of a beating because I was different from them.
I know there are good ones out there; I have met them. But the good ones are few and far between and I can't trust any of them until I get to know them. What happened to personal ethics? What happened to being someone your gods can be proud of?
That's all this bastard with get?! and only if he is convicted?! WTF?! Imagine what that poor cat went through. It's murder and should be treated as such.
Disgusting, he should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law :-(
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