Cat likely killed by another animal

Another cat was found dead in the southwest area of Oak Harbor, but the cat-killing culprit may be another animal.

Sunday, a SW Kittitas Court resident reported finding a dead cat on her lawn. The woman told 911 dispatchers that the cat looked like it had been cut and she worried that a person was responsible.

Three weeks ago, a SW Ingleside Drive resident reported that someone killed his cat in his backyard and cut it in half. That resident was certain that a person was responsible. More than a year before, a couple of different feline mutilations — including another case in which a cat was cut in half — were reported in the same part of the city.

In the previous cases, police suspected that a coyote was responsible, but nobody was able to rule out human involvement.

But in the recent case, Capt. Rick Wallace with the Oak Harbor Police said the city’s animal control officer, Terry Sampson, brought the dead cat to a local veterinarian for a necropsy.

Wallace said the veterinarian concluded that an animal of some kind was responsible for the death of the cat. Both Sampson and police officer who responded to the dead-cat call agreed.

Island County Animal Control Officer Carol Barnes said she hasn’t received any reports of dead cats in the county, but she asks residents to report anything unusual.

Whether or not a killer coyote is preying on cats in the city, police urge cat owners to keep their kitties inside. Cats that are kept inside live much longer lives than those that are allowed to roam. Pet cats can be very damaging to wildlife, especially song birds and quail.

Plus, it’s against the law to let a cat roam.

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