MENOMONIE, Wis. — A reward is being offered for information that leads to the arrest of the person or persons responsible for shooting and killing 15 cats and kittens near Menomonie, Wisconsin.
The Dunn County Humane Society says someone abandoned more than 30 cats in Spring Brook Township, leaving them by the side of a rural road with a big pile of cat food. That person or someone else then opened fire on the animals, killing 15 of them. The gruesome scene was discovered the night of April 27.
Another 18 cats and kittens survived and were rescued. They are currently receiving medical care and are in the process of getting spayed and neutered. Once the process is complete the surviving cats will be placed up for adoption at the shelter.
A post on the Dunn County Humane Society Facebook page offers a $3,000 reward for information leading to the person responsible, and details the state's animal cruelty statute.
"Wisconsin Statute 951.02 states: 'No person may treat any animal, whether belonging to the person or another, in a cruel manner.' In this chapter, the definition for cruel means causing unnecessary and excessive pain or suffering or unjustifiable injury or death," reads the post.
"This is not the type of post we enjoy putting up, but this is such an act of cruelty that we need to do everything we can to find the person/people responsible. Any information regarding this incident would be greatly appreciated."
Dunn County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Marshall Multhauf told KARE 11 he knows of at least one tip that came in through CrimeStoppers, and said investigators are following up on that tip. Multhauf said the department occasionally sees animal cruelty cases, but never with the number of animals targeted in this one.
Anyone with tips or information regarding the killing of the cats should call the Dunn County Sheriff's Department at 715-232-1348.
