Rash of Violent Cat Killings Prompts Urgent PETA Billboard

After Reports Emerge of Multiple Dead Cats Tied to Ropes, Group Urges Residents to Speak Up if They Witness Abuse

For Immediate Release:
September 22, 2017

Contact:
Megan Wiltsie 202-483-7382

PETA is placing a billboard on William Penn Highway in Mapleton proclaiming, “Have You Witnessed Cat Abuse? Report It—in Confidence. Keep Cats Safe Inside,” after a local woman reportedly discovered a 12-foot-long rope with a dead and decaying cat tied to the end of it. Residents of the area later informed investigators that a mother cat and two kittens had been seen hanging from a tree a few months earlier, but no one had reported it to police at the time.

“If there’s someone out there harming cats, it’s important that everyone keep an eye out and report suspicious behavior to authorities right away before anyone else gets hurt,” says PETA Vice President Colleen O’Brien. “Cases like this are why PETA urges animal guardians to keep cats indoors, where they’ll be safe.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—notes that in addition to being tortured and killed by cruel people, cats who are allowed to roam outdoors risk being hit by cars, contracting fatal diseases, being poisoned, becoming lost, and being snatched up by “bunchers”—people who steal dogs and cats and sell them for use in experiments—among many other dangers.

Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to contact the Pennsylvania State Police at 814-627-3161.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.