DNA Links Teens to Fatally Burning Cat

NEW YORK -- Two Brooklyn teenagers could spend up to 25 years in jail for setting a cat aflame in October, causing the severely injured tabby to eventually be euthanized.

Angelo Monderoy, 18, and Mathew Cooper, 17, were indicted last week by the King's County District's Attorney's Office; they now face multiple charges, including arson in the second degree, burglary in the second degree, aggravated animal cruelty and animal cruelty. In New York, aggravated animal cruelty is classified as a felony.

The 5-month-old case may well have remained unsolved had the New York ASPCA not utilized advanced forensics, one of its investigators says.

It's the first time the New York City cruelty investigative team relied on DNA testing, which is commonly used in human cases, but not animal-related incidents.

"This type of testing is becoming more and more accessible for our field," said Joseph Pentangelo, a special agent for humane law enforcement at the ASPCA. "In this case, what was done to the cat certainly cried out for a resolution. We figured that it was certainly an appropriate case to try it on."

Cooper and Monderoy are being charged for stalking Scruffy, a young male tabby, inside one of the men's Crown Heights apartment building. The cat was technically a stray, but had befriended some of the building's tenants, who would regularly supply him with food and care.

After catching the cat, the pair allegedly broke into a vacant apartment unit on Oct. 7, 2008, doused him with a flammable liquid and set him on fire. One person appeared to hold the cat down on his left side, as the right portion ofScruffy's body showed the most severe burns.

Later that morning, according to the King County's District Attorney's Office, "the cat was found outside crying, unable to move, but still alive. It was taken to an animal hospital, where it was euthanized, due to the severe burns it had suffered."

Identifying a culprit in an animal abuse case is frequently challenging, according to Deputy District Attorney Carol Moran, since "animals, much like a victim in a young child abuse case, cannot identify the attacker."

"Even if this cat had lived, it couldn't identify its attacker, even if it did know who did it," Moran said. "That means that we are always going to rely on some combination of investigative work, and in this case, forensics."

Elements of the crime were sloppy, Pentangelo said, and revealed several clues.

"The flames not only damaged the cat, but the floor and part of the walls of the apartment as well," he said. "This was a reckless act, which could have resulted in people being harmed, as well."

Investigators' survey of the area led them to the defendants, "who made some admissions to their involvement in burning a cat," Moran said.

Yet questions of Scruffy being the actual cat who was burned remained unanswered. Hoping to connect the pieces, the ASPCA investigative team looked to DNA testing as a viable option.

"To make sure we could prove that the animal, whose horrible injuries had caused this death, was the same animal these young men set on fire, the ASPCA really did something unique here," Moran said. "They used the scrapings of charred flesh from the apartment and then samples from the cat's body and sent it away."

The DNA matched.

Read more... 

A rabid cat was found! Hide your cats, the witch hunt is on!

A woman and her friend were jogging somewhere in Manhattan, NY, and a cat jumped on one of their backs. This cat attacked 4 people in all and 1 dog. Animal control was able to catch it and kill it. They are trying to notify one of the people attacked because she needs treatment within 10 days or she could die. Read more about the story here.

Maybe I am just paranoid because I feed outdoor cats (and have to hide it!) but I feel a witch hunt coming on! One rabid cat in a city of millions of stray cats and now all of these so-called "educated" officials will call for all the heads of the strays. I tried to find the incidence rate of rabies but I am finding all kinds of "rates" depending on how the person who wrote the findings wants to sway it. (Why can't we just have the facts!?) Someone who loves birds (and thinks that cats are responsible for the bird decline instead of human destruction *sigh*) will say that there is a high incidence of rabies so allferal/stray cats should be killed. Someone who feeds ferals might say that there is a low incidence. I don't think there are any accurate findings that we can really rely on.

I have personally known of hundreds of stray or feral cats that come into the shelter and none of them have had rabies. That's not much but it at least tells me that it is not common-in my area anyway. For comparison, the incidence of FIV is anywhere from 1-3%, depending on who is telling you the stats. We have had quite a few FIV+ cats come through the shelter. We have 5 at the shelter right now! So, I have to assume that the rabies risk is pretty low, since we have had NO cats with rabies. We do NOT kill cats with FIV because they can live a very normal life with no problems. Click here to read about FIV.

This is why Trap Neuter Release (TNR) is so important. If you trap or catch a free roaming or feral cat they are vaccinated against rabies when they are fixed! So, when they go back outside, they are not vulnerable to the disease if they happen to get into a squabble with a wild animal.

All Charges Dropped in Case of Animal Control Officer Shooting Mother Cat and Two Kittens (He claimed self defense!)

An animal control officer who shot and killed three cats will soon be back on the job.

All charges against Fred Grasso have been dropped.

Grasso faced two unclassified misdemeanor charges for allegedly violating the state’s Agriculture and Markets Law. The first count charged him with cruelty to animals and the other alleged he euthanized a dog or cat by gunshot.  How was this last one dropped?!  It is undeniable that he euthanized killed the cat and kittens by gunshot.

The judge pointed out that for Grasso to be convicted of the cruelty charge, he would have to have acted “unjustifiably” in the shooting of the cats.

Town Justice Richard Scott ruled that Fred Grasso didn't actually commit a crime when he shot and killed three cats last June.

Grasso said the reason he shot the animals was because they were rabid (don't you have to kill the animal to test brain tissue to make a diagnosis of Rabies?!) and a danger. The judge agreed and cleared him of any wrongdoing.

The judge said because the officer thought the animals were wild and dangerous, he broke no law by shooting them.

Animal advocates expressed their disappointment. "I know of no case ever where kittens have killed or harmed a human being to the point where deadly force needs to be used," said Barbara Carr of the SPCA.

Grasso's attorney Arcangelo Petricca said, "He does not destroy animals unfairly or unjustly. He felt that he was in danger and that the tenants and residents of that building were in danger, and he had to act quickly and swiftly in order to save them." He had to save the residents from a mother cat and two kittens?!  Are you kidding me?  This is ridiculous!

Petricca called his client “an animal lover himself” who is also a cat owner and who “doesn’t destroy animals unfairly or unjustly.”  An animal lover who has no problem shooting a cat and her kittens.  He saw them hiss and went to get his rifle.  He didn't close the door (which would have enclosed them in the basement, thus, protecting the residents from these big bad kitties!) and wait for someone to help him, he didn't close the door and stop to think...

“[Grasso] felt strongly from the beginning he acted justifiably,” Petricca said. “All I know is he’s tremendously relieved.”

New York State does not have any requirements in place for someone who wants to be an animal control officer.

Assemblyman Sam Hoyt tells News 4 legislation is currently being drafted to change that.

Here is the Judge's Information:  (I urge you to contact him!  Tell him the TNR was the best option for these kitties-not a gun shot to the head!  Click here and here for information to include in your letter.  Use this opportunity to show your disappointment and EDUCATE this judge.  Being rude or impolite truly hurts our cause!)

Richard B. Scott (D)
West Seneca Town Hall
1250 Union Road
West Seneca, New York 14224
phone - 1-716-558-3246

Click here for video.

Sources:

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/animal_control_officer_case_dismissed_090220 

http://www.wgrz.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=64358&provider=gnews

http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/585872.html

http://directories.erie.gov/officialdir/results.asp?action=1&search=Town+of+West+Seneca

Animal control officer shot mother cat and her two kittens-claiming self defense!

Lackawanna animal-control officer Frederick S. Grasso finally got his day in court Monday, testifying that he shot and killed three cats last June only after they had hissed and spat at him from the basement of a Lackawanna apartment complex.

"I opened the door, I took two steps downstairs, and three cats - the mother and two kittens - came at me," Grasso testified at his daylong trial on two misdemeanor charges. "They were all hissing and spitting at me."

Grasso then went back to his vehicle and grabbed his rifle.

"At that point, the safest means to dispose of those cats was to shoot them," Grasso told West Seneca Town Justice Richard B. Scott.

The case was transferred to West Seneca because it had generated so much comment and publicity in Lackawanna.

Asked later by defense attorney Arcangelo J. Petricca whether he had any alternative to shooting the cats, Grasso replied: "No, I don't believe there was any alternative. There was no safe way to remove those cats."

The nonjury trial also heard testimony from six prosecution witnesses and three defense witnesses. After the daylong proceeding, Scott reserved decision until Feb. 20.

The conflicting testimony presented two widely varying accounts of the three cats that were shot June 10 on Eagan Drive.

Prosecution witnesses, including neighbors and officials of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, portrayed the slain cats and four surviving kittens from the same family as docile, friendly animals that purred and even jumped onto neighbors' laps.

Barbara S. Carr, executive director of the Erie County SPCA, examined the four surviving kittens about two weeks after the shootings.

"They were perfectly normal kittens," Carr told the court. "They were friendly, purring, liked to be touched and didn't struggle to get away."

Michael P. Felicetta, an Erie County assistant district attorney, asked Patricia Murtha, a neighbor from Eagan Drive in Lackawanna, whether the mother cat was aggressive.

"No way, no way," she replied. "Any time she came over, she craved attention."

Several other witnesses provided similar descriptions of the cats' behavior.

"[Grasso] would have you believe that the mother and her two kittens turned evil, turned nasty [that day]," Felicetta said in his closing statement.

During the trial, Scott viewed a DVD shot by SPCA Peace Officer Charles Braun about two weeks after the shootings and depicting the four surviving kittens as very playful.

"This has absolutely nothing to do with June 10," Petricca objected. "It doesn't help evaluate the situation on June 10. . . . It's irrelevant."

Much of the prosecution testimony earlier in the day focused on witnesses who had heard Grasso admit the shootings. But that testimony became moot later in the trial, when Grasso admitted to having fired the three fatal shots.

Earlier, defense witness Vera Bink, the rental manager for the Eagan Drive apartment complex, told the court about the phone call she made to Grasso after having been confronted by the mother cat in the basement.

"I told him on the phone, 'Be careful. Take caution. . . . The female cat hissed at me, and she was ready to charge the stairs,' " Bink said.

"She was afraid to enter her basement, and she feared for the safety of her tenants," Grasso testified about Bink.

Grasso faces two unclassified misdemeanor charges under the state Agriculture and Markets Law, one for cruelty to animals, the other for euthanizing a dog or cat by gunshot.

The law on which the second charge is based states that no one may euthanize a dog or cat by gunshot, except as an emergency procedure for a "dangerous dog" or a severely injured dog or cat.

As Felicetta pointed out, the statute doesn't talk about a "dangerous cat," and there's no evidence or testimony that any of the cats here were severely injured.

But Petricca, in his opening statement, argued that the euthanasia charge should be dismissed.

"This is not a euthanasia case, your honor," he said. "This is not a Kevorkian-type killing."



BuffaloNews.com Feb. 10, 2009 



I want to know why this ACO didn't just trap them?  If he was going to kill them anyway, wouldn't the more humane act be trapping them and "humanely" euthanizing them?  I very rarely agree that euthanasia is the best choice (and I don't agree in this case) but generally cats who hiss once are deemed "aggressive" and are killed by people like this.  


Also, isn't there a protocol for this sort of thing?  They were enclosed in a basement and were not an immediate threat to anyone or any animal outside the basement.  They need to have someone KNOWLEDGEABLE about cat behavior working with animals.  A cat hissing, especially a mother cat, is just trying to protect themselves and their kittens.  It is completely normal for a cat to hiss at a strange person coming into their area.  Just because she hissed doesn't mean she is aggressive.  Also, if she did end up being feral, he should have trapped her and gotten her and her kittens (if they were old enough) spayed or neutered.  


It's ridiculous that he just took it upon himself to discharge a shotgun in a residential area and shoot these kittens after a FIVE MINUTE interaction with them-not even 5 minutes, he said himself that he took two steps into the basement, then went to get his rifle.


There are a lot of people in the case claiming that the kittens and mother were/are friendly.  4 kittens survived and were not shot.  The temperament of the cats doesn't really matter to me that much.  The point is that they were living beings and the ACO took it upon himself to judge their temperament and decided they were dangerous and shot and killed them in a minute or two.


This guy needs to be fired and convicted of animal cruelty.  


If you write to the judge (which I hope you will), feel free to use anything I wrote above.


He is in court Feb. 20, 2009.

Judge Richard B. Scott
West Seneca Town Court
1250 Union Road
West Seneca, NY 14224

Phone: 716.558.3247
Fax: 716.674.0518

(Grasso's Attorney) City Attorney, Arc Petricca cityattorney@ci.lackawanna.ny.us
716.827.6479

Read more on pet-abuse.com.


Please sign the petition regarding this case.

NY Man Abandons Dog in a Clothing Donation Bin

Gary Lee Rhodes, 28, is accused of abandoning his dog, a terrier mix, in a clothing donation bin at a shopping center in Hyde Park in September 2008.  He claimed she was emaciated before he dumped her.  


A man emptying the charity clothing donation bin in the parking lot of the Stop and Shop on St. Andrews Road found her and contacted the Dutchess County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Humane Law Enforcement Office.



The dog, now named Sally, weighed 16 pounds and was extremely emaciated and dehydrated.


Dutchess County SPCA estimate she had been dumped in the bin a week before she was found on Monday and the weather had been in the 90s during the daytime for a week (in Sept. 2008).  They estimate she's about 2 years old. In spite of her condition, she was still friendly and wagged her tail when she was taken to the shelter for treatment.

DCSPCA Humane Law Supervisor Jami Landry said, "It must have been like an oven for the dog trapped inside."

Gary Lee Rhodes was charged with one count each of torturing/not feeding an animal, abandonment of a disabled animal and neglect of an impounded animal, all misdemeanors in violation of state Agriculture and Markets Law.


Rhodes gave a false address in the City of Poughkeepsie at his Oct. 7 arraignment. Hyde Park Justice David Steinberg on Tuesday ordered Rhodes be placed on electronic monitoring.



Garry Lee Rhodes pleaded guilty on November 25th to abandonment of animals and cruelty to animals, both misdemeanors under state Agriculture and Markets law.



Rhodes told Moloney he is living with his mother in Pleasant Valley.

If Rhodes violates the terms of his house arrest release, he could be jailed on $10,000 bail.

Patterson said Rhodes could face up to two years in jail if convicted of all charges in the two cases.



His sentencing is scheduled for Feb 24, 2009.


Read more... 

Man beats his 2 year old pit bull, attacks her with darts and wires her mouth shut

A Central Islip man was charged with animal cruelty after he repeatedly tortured his 2-year-old pit bull, Emma, throwing metal game darts at her, beating her with metal pipes and tying her mouth shut with speaker wire, Suffolk police said.

John Bayliss, 39, of 6 Bayonne Ave., also was charged with third-degree menacing in an unrelated domestic dispute.

According to police and state records, Bayliss has a criminal history that includes convictions for second-degree assault - he served 4 years in prison after assaulting his 18-month-old son in 1997 - weapons possession and criminal trespass.

The boy lives with his mother, police said.  



Officers who investigated a domestic disturbance call Tuesday afternoon said the house Bayliss shares with his girlfriend had been converted into apartments, with unsafe wiring and partitions, Suffolk County police Lt. James Gruenfelder said.

That is also when police learned of the allegations that Bayliss regularly beat one of his two pit bulls, Gruenfelder said.

Police took several items they said Bayliss used to torment Emma over the past year: speaker wire, metal game darts, a foot-long metal flashlight, and two metal pipes about an inch in diameter - one 2 feet long, the other 3 feet long.

"It was a very, very friendly dog, too, believe it or not," Gruenfelder said. "In spite of all of that."

Emma, who is black with a white chest, had scars on several parts of her body. Bayliss' other dog, Lexie, also 2 years old, was not beaten, police said.

Bayliss adopted Emma as a puppy two years ago, Gruenfelder said. Islip Town animal control officers took the dogs for veterinary care. Emma still is receiving treatment, while Lexie is at the Islip animal shelter, Gruenfelder said.

The Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals aided in the animal abuse investigation, and the Islip Town fire marshal is investigating the unsafe living conditions, police said.

Bayliss' bail was set at $5,000 and bond at $15,000 at his arraignment Wednesday in First District Court in Central Islip.

He remained at the Suffolk County Jail in Riverhead last night, the Suffolk sheriff's office said.

For more on this case, please visit pet-abuse.com. 

Free Spay Neuter Clinic This Sunday!

Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals

Spay Neuter Clinic-Sunday, December 14, 2008

Animal Care and Control's Brooklyn Care Center, 2336 Linden Boulevard, Brooklyn

The Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals, in partnership with PetSmart Charities, Animal Care & Control of New York City, and the ASPCA, will present a free spay/neuter clinic for cats on Sunday, December 14. Appointments necessary! This clinic can accommodate friendly cats only — no ferals, please.

For more information or to make and appointment, contact the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals at info@AnimalAllianceNYC.org or (917) 579-1955.


**If you read this after the date listed, contact the organization/clinic.  Often times, they offer these services on a regular basis.  If not, these clinics may offer the low cost clinics once a month.  You can use the same contact information listed above.**

Senior, blind dog living in junk yard needs rescue NY/CT/Metro Area

This is from an online group I belong to, I do not know any more information than is given here.

This beautiful 10 year old Malamute/ Husky Snow Dog Mix dog was once a
family pet but for the past few years, has had the misfortune to live as a junkyard dog.

Now he is too old to live outside. This gentle boy called Fluffy lost his
sight due to cataracts, but is extremely aware and alert to all around him.

Extremely sweet and gentle, Fluffy loves to be petted and touched. This
affectionate soul will win your heart. Very recently he was taken to a vet,
and had all his shots. He is flea and tick free. He walks slowly mostly do
to his lack of sight, but he is in pretty good shape and would love to just
rest his head at your feet and love you for the rest of his years.

Even the neighborhood feral cats love to hang around with him, and he is
fine with his feline buddies.

NY/CT/METRO AREA

If you can foster or adopt this wonderful being called Fluffy, please call
917 689 8414 and Thank you for caring!

Can you help a dog in NY?

This is from an online group I belong to, I don't know any more information than is given here:

Smokey is an 8-year old neutered Elkhound mix. He is currently
living on a chain and will remain that way until a foster or
permanent home can be found for him. He has been on the chain his
entire life and was occasionally allowed in the house when the
weather was extremely bad but was chained to the refrigerator.
His "owner" has been put in jail and the family stops by once a day
to feed him. He is currently located in Binghamton, NY. He was
brought to my home this weekend in Rochester, NY so I could foster
him but he is aggressive toward other dogs and since I have 3 dogs
(one that is aggressive herself and another that is 15 and doesn't
get around very well), it became clear very quickly that it was not
safe to foster him here. So with no options and no possible fosters
that don't already have dogs of their own ...unfortunately, my
friend drove him back to Binghamton and he is chained again.

While he was here, he was an absolute sweetheart with adults and a 9-
year old girl. He rolled over on his belly and loved belly rubs!
He slept in the crate in the house and barked at first but I gave
him a kong filled with treats and it settled him right down and he
slept through the night with no issues. He immediately sat for
treats and was so sweet and gentle when he took them from my hands.
He has a great disposition and followed the humans everywhere we
went ... desperate to be with us. He didn't know what to do with
toys ... clearly, he's probably never had one or had anyone play
with him. He did have one accident in the house but that was more
my fault than his since I hadn't noticed the time that had passed
since his last potty break. He will likely need some housetraining
since he's never been allowed to live indoors.

He has a lot of energy for an 8-year old. He is extremely
affectionate ... jumped right up on my lap a number of times and got
some loving. He was good with my cat too ... his only issue seems
to be with other dogs. He was a perfect gentleman when we bathed
him, trimmed him and brushed him ... he loved the pampering! He
also jumped gates while he was here which I understand is common for
his breed so a forever home with a tall fence is ideal.

I've got someone checking on him a few times each day (since
his 'family' only stops by once per day). It's freezing cold in
upstate NY ... 8 years on the chain is already 8 years too many.
Please help me get him off the chain and inside with the family that
he deserves.

Thanks so much for anything you can do for Smokey!
Christy Merkt
Rochester, NY
cmerkt@rochester.rr.com

 

I did a check on the weather up there in NY.  For the city he is in, today's high was 47 degrees and the low tonight is 28 degrees.  Please, please help if you can!  Thank You!

Can you feed some ferals in Center Moriches, NY?

I found this message in a group I belong to online. I do not know this person or anything else about the situation. If you can help, please email Elizabeth at luv_2_smile4u@yahoo.com

Urgent help is needed in the vicinity of Center Moriches to feed a cat colony.

This colony is located on the property where I was working, but unfortunately I am no longer working for this company. I live in Middle Island and can no longer afford to go there every day, and probably will not be able to go at all when I am working again.

The address where the cats come to eat

MOUNT PLEASANT CEMETERY Cemetery Rd (just West of Kaler's Pond on Montauk Hwy) Center Moriches, NY 11934
Borders the East side of Kurt Weiss Greenhouses.

The Cemetery has gates which open at 7am and close at 5pm. You can't get in after 5pm. If the gates close when you are inside, they automatically open to let you out.

There are approximately 12 to 14 cats
I usually feed them around 4:30 - 4:45pm

My e-mail address is luv_2_smile4u@yahoo.com (@ yahoo.com)
Phone # is 516-702-9757


Thank you,
Elizabeth

Cage Comforters: Small Quilts Changing the Lives of Shelter Animals

Cage comforters are simple, small quilts placed in the cages of shelter animals. Not only do they make the cage a more comfortable place to be, but they also can help to increase an animal's chances of adoption. How? They reduce the stress animals feel while in a cage and they allow potential adopters to more easily see the animals as part of their homes and lives.

Anyone who can thread a needle can create a cage comforter, and help get a Little New Yorker adopted!
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