Casper

by Barb Gunther

On Tuesday morning, July 28,  I received a call from the Junction City PD regarding a cat in a trap and asking for my assistance.

I fully expected to find a cat in a humane trap, only to find the cat with an old-fashioned leg trap clamped around its neck.
The cat could barely breath. The call to the PD came from a good samaritan named Lee. As I eased the injured cat into a humane trap for transport, Lee returned with some bolt cutters and cut the trap off. I rushed the cat off to the WAG clinic to be stabilized.

The cat, now named Casper, is a very friendly stray and has apparent neurological damage from the incident. He was very hungry and was cared for by WAG employees until he was healthy enough to alter. Casper is doing quite well, but has a bit of a head tilt and occasionally loses his balance.

The JCPD, took my report and the leg trap as evidence. The officer told me any trapping has to be done with a permit.
The case is in the department's hands and hopefully it will be taken seriously and the perpetrator caught, because this trap could have injured anyones pet or child. The Oregon Animal Cruelty Laws classify this crime as either a Class A or B misdemeanor, which are defined depending on the outcome as intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly causing serious physical injury to an animal.

This tragic story, could have had a sad ending, one where Casper didn't recover. But, instead a hero came up to the plate, not once, but twice. Lee the original person who found the cat, has adopted Casper and made him part of his family.