Two Months Later, Cat Cruelty Case Remains Unsolved

“We have not forgotten about this case and are still hopeful that we will find the person or persons responsible for this horrible act of animal cruelty,” says Peninsula Humane Society/Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals spokesperson Scott Delucchi.

At the time, the PHS/SPCA called the perpetrator "sadistic."

In early November, someone tied a 5-pound weight around a cat’s neck using zip ties, then tossed the animal into a shallow lagoon in Redwood Shores. According to the Humane Society, the cat likely scratched and fought for his life for minutes before giving up and drowning.

Patch readers were outraged.

Said Mona T.: "I think of our two cats who literally own us instead of the other way around, and feel such sorrow for the way that poor cat suffered. I can't imagine what kind of human could be so cruel. I hope he or she is caught soon, before it happens again. Someone knows or at least suspects something and should speak up before a human being becomes a victim."

And Annette S.: "Animals are protected by laws too. There is a sick individual out there, your pet could be next, ... then how would you feel?"

According to Delucchi, a Redwood City Sewer Department worker brought the deceased cat to the Human Society shelter on Wednesday, November 2. Shelter workers determined the cat, a black and white male with no ID - mostly black with a white bib and boots - had been in the water for 2-3 days.

Lost cat reports filed at the PHS/SPCA were searched.

The staff looked at Craigslist postings from San Mateo County to see if a possible connection could be found.

Nothing produced a match.

A $1,000 reward was immediately offered for anyone who could provide information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the act, a reward that grew to $8,500 before the end of the week.

The PHS lead veterinarian conducted a necropsy, and initial findings told the society what they expected - that the cat was alive before he drowned. According to the PHS, the finding makes the case a felony act of animal cruelty given the intent to cause harm and suffering.

Said Delucchi at the time: "Fortunately, these cases are rare. I’ve seen less than 10 with this degree of maliciousness in my 13-plus years with the PHS/SPCA. I mean, I’m even thinking the person who did this chose a shallow part of the lagoon just to see the cat struggle."

Today, the reward stands at $13,250.

“One key, we believe, will be hearing from people who had been seeing a cat matching this cat’s description in their neighborhood up until late October, but no longer see the cat," says Delucchi. "If people have leads, we are asking that they call 650/340-7022, ext. 384.”

The PHS/SPCA Investigations Department, funded entirely by donations, continues to look for leads in finding the person or persons that drowned the cat. Once a case is built, it will be taken to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office for charges.

Until then, Delucchi and the rest of the Humane Society can only wait.

"It is with cases like this that we often see the best and the worst of humanity," says the spokesman.