LONG BEACH : Mysterious Cat Deaths Raise Police Concern
Four cats have been found dead in recent weeks in the canals in a two-block stretch of the Naples area, and other cats have been reported missing, police said.
Long Beach Police Cpl. Marcia Rhone, who has patrolled the Belmont Shore and Naples area for three years, said the deaths and disappearances seem to be more than coincidental. Many of the cats have disappeared on Friday nights, she said.
A homeless man reported seeing a group of teen-agers put a cat into a bag and then throw it into the canal, Rhone said.
John Gonzales, senior animal control officer for the city, said his office was keeping an eye on the situation, but has no idea who might be responsible. He advises residents to keep their animals indoors, and all pets should have proper identification tags, he said.
“There’s some strange people out there who do some strange things to animals,” he said.
Willful cruelty to animals is a felony, Rhone said.
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