Cats poisoned Voluntown, CT (US) Incident Date: Tuesday, Aug 31, 2004 County: New London Local Map: available Disposition: Alleged Alleged: David Sousa

Case ID: 2900 Classification: Poisoning Animal: cat View more cases in CT (US) Animal was offleash or loose Login to Watch this Case

On the evening of Tuesday, Aug. 31, Deborah Baton rushed her cat Gizmo to the Veterinary Emergency Treatment Services in Oakdale. The cat was in an advanced stage of intoxication and tested positive for ethylene glycol, a chemical compound used in antifreeze. David Sousa, 40, of 30 Tanglewood Road was charged at 1:30 a.m. Saturday with animal cruelty for allegedly trying to poison her cats.

Gizmo was suffering from profound dehydration and swollen kidneys and had to be put to sleep.

"My poor cat was so innocent and lovable," Baton said.

Two days after Gizmo died, Baton decided to follow another one of her cats -- Shemee -- as she was walking around the back of her neighbor's shed.

Shemee, Baton said, led her to a small plastic bowl filled with canned cat food.

After placing a call to the town's Animal Control Officer Flo Harman, Baton took the bowl to the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. The laboratory sent the food to be tested at the Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health in Lansing, Mich.

The results confirmed Baton's suspicion. Ethylene glycol was found in the cat food.

"A child could have found that bowl, the whole neighborhood is filled with cats and children," Baton said. "It's a quaint residential neighborhood. I'm devastated, it's not right."

"Sousa ended up confessing," said investigating state Trooper Mark Devine with Connecticut State Police Troop E. "He stated he believed it would only make the cat sick so it wouldn't come back into his yard."

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References

	Norwich Bulletin Police Reports
	Norwich Bulletin

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