Animal control in Oregon kills pet cat without looking at chip

Ernest Dempsey — With the madness of authorities and callousness of state and federal laws toward stray animals in the United States, Oregon remains one of the most peaceful and animal-friendly states in the country. No wonder then that the news of a pet cat caught and euthanized by the Animal Control in Newberg has shocked those who learnt about the incident.

As KGW reported yesterday, William lived as a beloved pet cat with his family in Newberg for 16 years and was out strolling, or as some would call it “roaming, when a neighbor caught sight of him and called animal control. This was literally a death sentence for the cat who was properly micro-chipped. But not bothering to look at the chip, the animal control put it to death in less than 2 hours of capturing it in the open and taking it to their pound. No search for owners, no announcement of finding a cat, and without any reason, William was killed by the animal control as if he was some pest.

The owner couple, who spent thousands of dollars on caring for William, is devastated, hardly believing what was done to their feline family member whom they got from the animal control – dead – and buried at home after the animal control finally “found” the chip. But if fatal ignorance was not enough, a worker at the animal control kept saying in defense of killing William that they had to put it to sleep because “the cat was aggressive”. Really? Perhaps the officers define aggression as being a helpless small animal caught and caged by reckless officers whose uniform is a license to kill harmless animals and who, in their aggressive instinctual acts, forget to check whether the captured animal is somebody’s beloved pet, somebody’s emotional child.

William’s killing is a sign of alarm for all residents, and more so for those having pets. The senselessness that Oregon was heretofore fairly free of has made its first appearance – to the horror of pet owners. It won’t be asking too much to demand disciplinary action against Newberg Animal Control and compensating the affected family along with an official apology for the way they were damaged. William was home at last, but his life was ended in an irresponsible and unfair manner – and that must not be repeated again in an otherwise peaceful place where families generally feel safe.

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