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By Angela Brown

Cats targeted

People advised to keep cats indoors to ensure their safety

May 31, 2023 | 3:48 PM

The Battlefords Humane Society is asking pet owners to try to keep their cats inside following a number of cases of people targeting cats in the community.

The society received reports of cats being injured on the streets in North Battleford, by people either swerving their vehicles to try to hit one on the road, or shooting them with pellet guns.

The organization put a post on its Facebook Page warning owners of the risk.

“Make sure you know where your animals are at all times,” Acting Manager Chloe Lloyd said. “The only way we can keep them safe unfortunately is keeping them home.”

The Humane Society receives reports almost every month of someone trying to run over a cat on the road.

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“It’s a recurring [problem] that is not going away,” Lloyd said.

About a third of the cases of cats found deceased on the roadway involve reports of someone seen going “out of their way” to hit the cat beforehand, she said.

Lloyd adds there are multiple people doing this in the community now, as an added concern.

She said the situation has been “really bad” on 110 Street, around the 1300 block, near St. Mary’s School.

“I don’t know if it’s one person or if there are multiple people, but they will be driving down and go out of their way to hit the cats as they are crossing the road,” Lloyd said. “It’s been pretty scary. So, we’re just kind of warning people to keep their animals home, and make sure they are safe because there are some bad, bad people out there now.”

There are also reports of people hitting cats with pellet guns.

“There was specifically one cat that I think she [the owner] ended up posting [it] on Facebook,” Lloyd said. “Her cat was hit by pellets. Then, they had to bring him in to the vet’s. I’m not sure whether or not that cat made it. There was quite a bit of blood unfortunately.”

The Humane Society received a report in early May of someone around the Douglas Avenue and St. Laurent areas shooting a cat with a pellet gun.

The organization is also concerned about cats being abandoned and dumped, an ongoing issue.

“We get cats dumped here in the shelter,” Lloyd said. “Cats are dumped all over town. Just recently there were two kittens that were thrown out of a vehicle between us and Meota. One of the kittens did not make it. We see it unfortunately so often, it’s hard to really pinpoint anything.”

North Battleford Boots and Salutes Facebook Page had a post that said cats are being trapped and then dumped in the country as another concern.

Lloyd said she has not heard about this issue, but finds it “very disturbing.”

The Humane Society has notified the city’s Community Safety Officers (CSO) about cases of people trying to run over cats.

“We work very closely with our CSOs here in the Battlefords,” Lloyd said. “They are aware that it is happening. They do have their eyes on those areas. Hopefully, we’ll be able to catch them [the culprits].”

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: battlefordsnow