Case Details

Cat repeatedly kicked
Billings, MT (US)

Date: Sep 17, 1999
County: Yellowstone
Local Map: available
Disposition: Alleged

Alleged:

  • Name Undisclosed
  • Michael Keith Vanamann - Convicted

    Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
  • Case ID: 4344
    Classification: Kicking/Stomping
    Animal: cat
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    Animal was offleash or loose
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    Two teen boys, 13 and 14 years old, have been charged with cruelty to animals and will appear in Juvenile Court on Oct 6. Their names have not been released.

    On Friday, Sept 17, the teens found the four-month old cat, Rocky, hiding under a parked vehicle near his foster home. They repeatedly kicked the cat and dropped kicked the cat more than 12 feet until the cat was motionless. Eyewitnesses called the police and took the cat to the Granite Peak Veterinary Hospital.

    Rocky's original family abandoned him when they moved away from the area. The Help for Homeless Pets organization found him a foster home until new owners could be found. Rocky's foster family were quickly becoming attached to the white kitten.

    The veterinarian who treated Rocky said he is likely to have health problems for the rest of his life. Rocky is recovering from surgery to seal a punctured abdomen and having his rear leg amputated. The cost of care for the kitten is being paid by the Granite Peak Veterinary Hospital.

    Dr Suzanne Roth, the vet who treated Rocky, said "It seems he will recover."

    Angie Cook, President of of Help for Homeless Pets said, "He's just a sweet little guy. I'm sure he just walked right up to those kids. When you got see him now, he will rub all against you and start purring. It just tears your heart out because you'd think he would be terrified of a human."

    A fund has been established to cover the medical bills. Any money leftover will go to the Help for Homeless Pets organization.

    The cat's foster owners could not afford the $600 medical bills and Help for Homeless Pets was concerned the badly beaten cat would drain most of the organization's donations. Roth decided to operate on the cat any way and set up a fund to help pay the bills.

    Rocky will need a special home and one where he will be kept inside. He's going to have three legs and might have medical problems in the future.

    It was because of the persistence of Police Officer Casey Hafner of Billings the cat's attackers were found so quickly. The 13-year old fled the scene with his 14-year old cousin.

    Even after his attack, Rocky does not seem to be afraid of people.

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    Case Updates

    The 14-year old Billings boy who abused a kitten was sentenced Friday to the Pine Hills Correctional Facility for delinquent boys. Judge Maurice Colberg Jr concluded that he poses a danger to the community and that incarcertaion was warranted.

    How long Michael Keith Vanamann, 14, serves at Pine Hills depends on him. Sentence allows him be incarcerated until his 18th birthday but youths are typically held only a few months and rarely ever for a few years.

    Vanamann, a student at Castle Rock Middle School had been released to his parents. Following the sentencing he is on his way to Pine Hills.

    One of the two boys involved in the cat beating eventually came forward and identified his cousin, Vanamann, as the one that kicked the cat.

    Besides cruelty to animals, Vanamann had also been charged with criminal trespass for throwing a brick through an elderly woman's window in June and criminal mischief for slashing a bicycle tire that same month. A second mischief charge alleging Vanamann had carved up furniture with a knife he brought to Castle Rock Middle School

    Vanamann pleaded guilty to all of the misdemeanor counts.

    Judge Colberg also ordered Vanamann pay some restitution to his school and the bicycle owner, but did not require him to pay a fine to the Animal Welfare League.
    Source: The Billings Gazette - Dec 4, 1999
    Update posted on Apr 13, 2005 - 1:04PM 

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    References

    The Billings Gazette - Sept 26, 1999

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    « MT State Animal Cruelty Map



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