The State - News from Aug. 20, 1989

Concord police are searching for a “coward” who entices neighborhood cats into a building and, possibly with the help of an accomplice, viciously shoots or stabs them. Authorities said at least 26 cats have been shot with a pellet gun or stabbed in the last month. “These have been friendly, trusting cats--easy prey for some coward who is afraid to pick on something bigger, like a dog which might bite,” said Marion Long, a state humane officer with the Contra Costa County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. She said since many of the animals were shot through the heart at close range it appeared that “somebody must be holding the cat while another shoots it.” Long said the cat attacks were vicious enough to file felony charges against the assailants when they are apprehended. Conviction on the cruelty to animals charge carries a fine of $500 and a maximum six months in jail for each incident. Police and the SPCA have warned residents to keep cats indoors until those responsible for the killings have been caught.