Friday September 11, 2009, 1:40 am
Raymore police mistakenly kill family cat
By DONALD BRADLEY and GLENN RICE
The Kansas City Star

Kelly Wesner and her family spent part of Labor Day looking for their cuddly, 19-year-old tabby cat named Tobey.

At the same time, Raymore police were responding to a report of a large, vicious, feral cat that had scratched a child and might be diseased.

It was the same animal, and his story didn’t have a holiday ending.

A police officer would take Tobey into a field and shoot him twice in the head. He then put the body in a plastic grocery bag and disposed of it in a city trash bin.

Somehow, Tobey had gotten out of the house Monday and wandered down the street and into a neighbor’s garage, said Wesner, who owned the cat for 18 years.

An adult at that house sprayed Tobey with a garden hose to get him to leave, according to city reports on the incident.

Officers captured Tobey with a “catch pole.” A supervisor told the officer to take Tobey, who wore no tag, to a remote area and “put him down,” a police report said.

As this was going on, his family was searching the neighborhood for the cat they’d had since 1991, when they found him sitting on their front porch.

Tobey wasn’t vicious, Wesner said. He was declawed, deaf, weighed only 6 pounds and had his own prescription drug card at Walgreens.

On Thursday, Wesner questioned why, if police suspected Tobey had rabies, they would shoot him in the head when the brain would be needed for testing. And then dispose of the body without doing any testing.

“We do not know what they were thinking,” Wesner said Thursday.

City Manager Eric Berlin told the mayor and council members in a memo that the city should reconsider its procedures for euthanizing animals because protocol was not followed in this case. Some of the confusion may have arisen, he said, because the incident occurred on a holiday.

He also said Tobey may have appeared to officers to be diseased because he was wet.

In a letter to the family, acting police chief Roger Mayberry said the officers found an animal that they believed, by its action and appearance, was a diseased, feral cat. He went on to apologize for what happened.

“As for the final disposition of your pet, let me say that I, too, would have preferred a different method.”

Friday September 11, 2009, 6:13 am
Well, because of their carelessness and intuition a life was sacrificed. They jumped into conclusions without even taking a look at the facts. So when an animal's wet that means he/she is feral and has rabies? Why that's just the most insipid thing i've ever heard. An apology won't bring back the life of a beloved pet. And to "put down" an animal by shooting it on the head in some place and dispose of it in a trash bin, and still call themselves policemen who serve and protect, how cruel.

Friday September 11, 2009, 11:07 am
When I read this I was incensed. What stupidity and unjustified brutality on the part of the police. An apology after the fact is useless. And as she says-if he had rabies or was suspected of having rabies why shoot him in the head. The neighbor was an idiot too-behaving like that. I just lost it on this one. If I was his owner I'd call for an investigation into their practices and protocol and sue them for their suspenders.

Friday September 11, 2009, 12:45 pm
I am with you Rafael, this action was brutal, sadistic & cruel. I think that the police just saw a large cat (wet & v skinny - weighing 6lbs?) and decided that it had to be the one that needed killing. In other words just what I keep saying about American police, shoot then think and ask questions! I am so grateful that the UK police DO think and don't carry guns.

Friday September 11, 2009, 2:40 pm
This policeman is dangerous! What would he do if he shot a person so quickly? My heart goes out to the owners of this eighteen year old cat!

Friday September 11, 2009, 5:46 pm
the officer had a choice to kill the cat or call animal control. he clearly wanted to kill the cat. for that reason alone, he needs a psych. evaluation.

Friday September 11, 2009, 8:02 pm
To my way of thinking, killing the cat then disposing of it was the most expedient way for the police to get rid of a problem they didn't want to be bothered with. Don't call animal control, just shoot it and no paperwork to bother with a days end. What's up with this kind of kill first, ask questions later mentality!? Oh, I just realized why, it was only a cat not a person involved, don't look into it shoot it.

Lync

Saturday September 12, 2009, 1:25 pm
It's obvious to me the wrong animal got shot! You would think in such cases the human animal would have a brain that could reason and if they handle calls such as this that they be totally knowledgeable, but alas, not. It really disturbs me that a medieval mentality went out to do a knowledgeable mentalities job. This kind of ignorant attitude is unacceptable! After all it was only a cat right...a cat with every right to life just the same as the cops...a beloved member of a family, who will be just as missed as any family member. I am really sorry for this family's loss, really distraught at this cat's terror and suffering in his last moments at the hands of these ignoratnt cops.

Saturday September 12, 2009, 3:48 pm
This is the most terribly sad thing. Tobey looks such a beautiful cat. My heart goes out to the poor family. Surely the policeman who did this should face discipline? Can police in the US just go around shooting cats if they feel like it?

Saturday September 12, 2009, 5:08 pm
The Humane Society is conducting an investigation into this-UPDATE http://www.care2.com/c2c/pm/read/107284615/

I was devastated by this brutal and cold-blooded crime-it was no less than one. I will never think otherwise.

Saturday September 12, 2009, 6:18 pm
This is outrageous. Those responsible should be serious disciplined, if not let go for being unsuitable for their jobs.

Sunday September 13, 2009, 4:17 pm
no one ever said cops were smart, and yes, ive got cops in my family. my child is engaged to one, and he is a wonderful guy. and CARES. nypd.......thank you raffi.....this is bad. i thought the cat mutilater/killer was a 32 yr. old man and he was in jail?

Sunday September 13, 2009, 4:37 pm
Plz visit http://www.care2.com/news/member/160802723/1248128

Change Org. has a petition up for Tobey.