This again.
A man thought to be a potential adopter visited the Brookhaven Animal Rescue League in Mississippi on Friday, asked to see the cats, then allegedly beat one to a pulp before leaving. The guy was unsupervised as all the staff and vols at the private shelter were chasing a loose dog. The three year old cat, called Tilly, was found in an open cage, battered and bloody, clinging to life. She died later at a vet’s office.
The area where Tilly was found is described as a colony room so it sounds as if she was tortured in view of other cats. There was blood spatter on the walls and a “plastic stick” was in pieces. The man apparently beat Tilly until his weapon fell apart then stomped on her.
Jody Cothron has been charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty in connection with the case. In Mississippi, nearly all animal cruelty offenses are misdemeanors. Police have obtained surveillance video from the shelter.
I totally get that there was an emergency at the shelter because a dog had gotten loose. I get that everyone was looking out for the dog’s well being by chasing him around and leaving the guy in the cat colony room unsupervised. But come on people, you need to watch your pets and not leave them alone with strangers.
If a guy walks into a daycare and says he’s interested in looking around because he might want to enroll his kid, you don’t show him into the infant room and leave him alone – even if there’s an emergency. Emergencies happen. They need to be handled in such a way that no one’s safety is compromised.
If it was absolutely an all-hands-on-deck situation that required everyone in the place to help, the first thing that needed to happen was for someone to quickly explain to the visitor that he would need to wait in his car until the dog was captured and then to make sure the guy was out of there. Because apparently unsupervised adopters beating shelter pets is a thing now. FFS.
(Thanks Clarice.)
Dear Christ. What the hell is going on with some people?
And they asked if the cat could have “provoked” the attack? Are you shitting me?
It sounds an awful lot like this cat was singled out for some reason. Like he came there specifically to kill that cat. And what is the “plastic stick”? Did he bring that with him?
I don’t know what can be done to help the other cats recover from witnessing that…
I cannot even believe what I have read here about this maniac who abused this poor innocent cat. Are there that many evil lunatics running loose these days that we have to worry about people like these? And to think this criminal has only been charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty is insane! If this doesn’t show the need for us to strengthen our animal cruelty laws nationwide, I don’t know what does.
https://www.google.com/search?num=50&newwindow=1&site=&source=hp&q=Jody+Cothron&oq=Jody+Cothron&gs_l=hp.13..0i13l2j0i13i30l2j0i8i13i30l2j0i8i13i10i30.2854.2854.0.7090.2.2.0.0.0.0.118.198.1j1.2.0….0…1c.2.64.hp..0.1.78.0.8MVLbs_-uZE
I sure hope that she rots in hell since for the looks of it she will not be doing any jail time. RIP sweet baby.
Does anyone think he won’t kill again…and again..
From the Clarion-Ledger: “In January Cothron was on Facebook asking where he could find kittens.
” ‘Does anybody have or know where any kittens are for sale or to give away?’, he asked in a Friends Only Post. A screenshot of the post was submitted to the Clarion-Ledger by a reader.”
Clearly his victim of choice . . . I cannot imagine the trauma all of the cats suffered watching such evil. RIP Tilly. No animals deserves what the “man” did to you. Dear God, this is much too horrible for words.
What on earth all people in a animal shelter should not be left unsupervised surely comments sense should tell you that.
I can’t understand the lack of an sop in shelters. Everywhere I have worked there have been plans set out in writing that take into account what to do in an emergency. One obvious one is don’t leave vulnerable animals alone with a stranger, no matter what.
I am now going to give my aged cat some extra pats and cat nip, rip poor Tilly.
I am shocked and utterly sick over what I am reading!
I hate people
The bigger picture here is that Mississippi should recognize that this type of behavior leads to human abuse and possibly murder and should make animal abuse a felony.
A MONSTER! This man is a sociopath and will kill again and again and again until someone stops him.
Clearly, Mississippi’s animal cruelty laws are archaic. Boycotts of the state should be in order. This man needs to be LOCKED UP for the rest of his life – he is a walking monster!