A kitten is lucky to be alive after it was thrown from a moving vehicle and an Eaton vet fears a second cat admitted the same day could be a victim of the same perpetrator.
A Bunbury woman rescued the kitten at the Eelup roundabout on Friday.
Jolene (who only wished to use her first name) was driving to an appointment at 10.30am on Friday when the incident occurred.
Jolene said she was at the set of lights leading into Bunbury along Sandridge Road when an arm poked out of a blue dual-cab ute taking off from Robertson Drive.
She said the kitten was flung onto the road in what Jolene described as “a disturbing act of cruelty”.
“I was disgusted and shocked that someone could commit such a cruel act,” she said.
“It was probably unsafe to get onto the road, in hindsight, but the other drivers could see what was unfolding and were very patient.”
Jolene said when she approached the kitten it was running in circles and meowing incessantly but ran straight into her arms once she called to it.
The police were contacted but told Jolene without a registration number it would be difficult to track down the offender.
Jolene took the kitten to Eaton Pet Vet veterinarian, Dr Kerri Wallis, who treated the injured animal. In a further alarming development, Dr Wallis said Jolene’s kitten may not have been alone in being a victim of cruelty that same day.
“Within 15 minutes of dealing with Jolene’s injured cat, another kitten was admitted in much worse shape,” she said.
“Its tail had been skinned off.”
The second kitten was a similar age to the animal rescued at Eelup – about 12 weeks old – with similar colouring. Dr Wallis said while she could not confirm the cases were connected, it could not be ruled out.
“It was disturbing to see the animal in a state like that but the second kitten’s condition was so poor, euthanasia was the only option,” she said.
“It makes me livid to think that this could have been intentionally done.”
If caught, the offender could face a five-year stint in prison or fines of up to $50,000.
The RSPCA is appealing for anyone with information about either of the incidents to report it to the organisation’s cruelty hotline on 1300 278 3589.
Blayde Grzelka
Journalist for the Bunbury Mail, Australian Community Media, and Fairfax Media.
Journalist for the Bunbury Mail, Australian Community Media, and Fairfax Media.
