In October of 2021, a group of men came across a cat in the parking lot of an apartment complex in Beaumont, Texas. The cat was struggling, foaming at the mouth like it had been poisoned. Any reasonable, compassionate person would have quickly figured out a way to get the cat the help it clearly needed --
but unfortunately, these men were far from reasonable or compassionate.The men proceeded to torture the cat in unthinkable ways, filming the entire ordeal on their phones and posting the videos to social media.Two of these men have since been sentenced to jail time, but we need to make sure that they and anyone else who was present that night can never harm another animal again.
Sign the petition to demand mandatory counseling and a ban on animal ownership for everyone involved.The
following details are incredibly graphic.
One of the men proceeded to pick up the cat that was already suffering, and kicked it "as if kicking a football field goal." The frightened animal flew 15 to 20 feet through the air before crashing painfully back down to the ground.
But the group didn't stop there.
Someone else, who was not mentioned in the recent sentencing, then poured a flammable liquid all over the cat and set the animal on fire. Burning alive, the cat ran away while its group of torturers continued to film. Court records did not mention if that cat lived or died, but it is very likely that this cat passed away while suffering greatly.
The things these men did that day could not have been more cruel.
To see a living thing already suffering and take advantage of the situation to act out your own sadistic torture rituals is beyond comprehension. And while we are grateful that at least two of these men have been brought to some justice, we cannot become complacent. Jail time does not reform this kind of cruel aggression, and it doesn't seem clear that every perpetrator has been sentenced either.
This kind of violence could very likely happen again, against another animal or even escalate to a person, as research tells us often happens.That's why we're asking the U.S. Attorney's Office involved in this case to continue to pursue justice in the form of mandatory, intensive counseling for these aggressors as well as a complete and total ban on animal ownership ever again.
Sign the petition if you agree!