Letter threatening to euthanize outdoor cats has Missouri neighborhood up in arms
Police are investigating after a Missouri man says his neighborhood was littered with letters threatening to euthanize outdoor cats.
Charlie Brown, who lives in Joplin, shared the letter to Facebook on Monday, explaining that someone distributed the letters early that morning.
“At 4:30 this morning our entire neighborhood was plastered with these notices by this person,” the post said.
Images captured on surveillance equipment appear to show a woman with a stack of papers in her hand.
The letter asserts that residents who keep cats as pets “should respect their neighbors by keeping their pet cat on their property at which they reside on.”
It goes on to say that “stray feral cats” will no longer be taken to the Joplin Humane Society because cat owners “just pay the city fine and re-release their cat back into our neighborhood.”
Instead, the letter says, the cats will be euthanized. It also includes what appear to be legitimate Joplin city ordinances pertaining to the ownership of cats.
Police have confirmed to news outlets that they’re investigating the incident.
“We know this issue has several people concerned and we want to remind the public that there are proper channels to report these issues such as this to the police department or animal control,” Captain William Davis told KOAM.
He echoed the sentiment to KSN, adding, “Obviously disseminating posters like this and going door to door making these threats is not the means to solve an issue.”
Brown said Monday’s incident isn’t the first time outdoor cats have been threatened.
A month ago, he said a woman “went up and down the streets” claiming she was going to start killing cats.
He also believes his cats were euthanized.
“With the recent disappearance of two of my cats that have been here for eight years,” he told KSN, ”I saw that letter this morning and I know where they are now — they’re dead. They were killed.”
The community is offering a reward of $2,500 to anyone with information that may lead to the person’s capture, according to the outlet.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Joplin police at 417-623-3131, KOAM reported.
Joplin is in southwest Missouri, roughly 100 miles south of Kansas City.
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