A North Brookfield man who has admitted he tried to kill a kitten will not be charged by police, and a woman who rescued the animal said she is upset with how officials handled the matter.
Christine A. Hill, 42, of Spencer, said she saw an elderly man trying to drown a kitten outside 25 Winter St. June 1. The man, Laurence E. Thayer, 83, of that address, had the kitten wrapped in netting in a bucket of water, she said.
The man�s 5-year-old great-grandson stood behind him as he repeatedly submerged the animal, Mrs. Hill said.
�I looked in the bucket and I saw a little mouth opening and closing, like gasping,� said Mrs. Hill, owner of Upscale Salon of Spencer. At that point, Mrs. Hill asked Mr. Thayer what he was doing.
Mr. Thayer allegedly told her, �It�s almost done,� and �You can�t save all the wild animals in the world.�
She said she pulled the kitten from the bucket and pressed on its stomach to force water out. The young boy, who was nearby during the attempted drowning, appeared to be indifferent, Mrs. Hill said.
During an interview Wednesday, Mr. Thayer said he was �in a fit of madness trying to catch this kitten.�
When asked about Mrs. Hill�s allegations, he said, �I didn�t know it was against the law. I�ve been doing it for a hundred years.�
Mr. Thayer, a North Brookfield sewer commissioner, said homeless cats have been on his property for too long.
Mr. Thayer had one less animal to worry about when Mrs. Hill took the kitten from the property and reported the incident to North Brookfield Animal Control Officer Douglas J. Blood.
According to Mrs. Hill, Mr. Blood checked out the complaint and decided not to press cruelty to animal charges. She said Mr. Blood told her he based his decision on the �feral problem� at the man�s property and Mr. Thayer�s age.
A Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals spokeswoman said drowning a kitten is against the law. If convicted on cruelty charges, a person may face up to 5 years in prison or a $2,500 fine.
�What�s the point of his job if he�s dropping the ball saying, �Unfortunately there�s a feral problem�?� Mrs. Hill said.
North Brookfield Police Chief Aram Thomasian said he is not eager to press charges against Mr. Thayer, and dismissed the matter as a generational issue.
�He dealt with the problem the best he could,� Chief Thomasian said. He said that is how �older people� deal with animal problems.
�Back in their day, that�s what they did,� said Chief Thomasian.
The Thayers say they have tried to get help with their cat problem over the years.
Mr. Thayer�s granddaughter, Michelle T.C. Thayer, said the family has contacted the MSPCA, Animal Rescue League and state agencies for two years about the cats.
Mrs. Hill made her own complaint to the Boston office of the rescue league. She said somebody from the agency went to the house and came to the same conclusion as local officials, which was that Mr. Thayer was an �old-timer� who dealt with feral cats his own way.
Feral or not, Mrs. Hill said, kitten cruelty is unacceptable, especially in front of a child.
Ms. Thayer said she is the mother of the boy who witnessed the incident and said her son was upset because of the confrontation between Mrs. Hill and her grandfather, not because of the attempted drowning.
�He�s aware of what�s going on, but he was made more aware because of her reaction,� Ms. Thayer said.
She said the outdoor cats attract predatory animals, and children in the family find kitten body parts in the yard. She said she doesn�t think that her family should have to pay for trapping and spaying cats that don�t belong to them.
�I myself have rescued four of them,� Ms. Thayer said. She claims the kitten was �next to dead anyway� before the attempted drowning.
Sheryl A. Brackley, director of Second Chance Animal Shelter in East Brookfield, said there are options for controlling cat populations. Her adoption organization helps low-income pet owners with neutering.
In collaboration with other shelters and local veterinarians, the facility also takes part in a program designed to gain control of local feral colonies. The Feral Spay Sunday project is free, with traps available for loan. The last program was on June 4 and the next is Oct. 29.
�The sooner you get to a colony, the better,� said Mrs. Brackley, who is also the East Brookfield animal control officer. She said overpopulation becomes exacerbated when cats have a food source, and the best solution is to participate in a spay/neuter release program.
Spencer Animal Control Officer Carol A. Gaucher said a significant feral cat problem exists in North Brookfield. She said Mr. Blood has not dealt with the issue and animals are showing up with rabies.
Mr. Blood did not return phone calls made by the Telegram & Gazette. Chief Thomasian said Mr. Blood will not answer any questions.
Mrs. Hill plans to keep the kitten, which she named Lucky Girl.
�It really bothered me that no one cared. No one cared about her and she�s as sweet as pie,� said Mrs. Hill. Case UpdatesThe Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is considering whether to bring charges of cruelty to an animal against a resident who allegedly tried to drown a kitten.
Laurence E. Thayer, 83, a member of the Sewer Commission, told police and the Telegram & Gazette that he had tried to drown a kitten in a bucket of water outside his home at 25 Winter St. on June 1. Christine A. Hill, 34, said she saw the incident and pulled the kitten from the bucket and drove away with it. She reported the incident to Animal Control Officer Douglas J. Blood.
Peter E. Gollub, MSPCA director of law enforcement, said his agency issued an order to investigate after it learned of the incident. He said he cannot reveal the name of the person who informed the organization about the matter. He said the MSPCA must be �guided by our own investigation,� and the facts of the case will determine whether it will press charges.
�If we believe that it�s appropriate to bring charges, given all the facts involved, we will bring charges,� Mr. Gollub said.
Christine Allenberg, investigating MSPCA law enforcement officer, said MSPCA officials have discussed the case with police, who are cooperating with the investigation. Mrs. Hill said she made an official statement to Ms. Allenberg on June 26.
While cruelty to animals is a felony in this state, police did not press charges, saying drowning unwanted cats was once a common practice among people of Mr. Thayer�s generation. Police have not returned telephone calls from the Telegram & Gazette seeking more information since June 21.
Ms. Allenberg said the practice of drowning animals may have occurred �since the beginning of time,� but now it is considered a violation of the law.
Conviction on the charge of cruelty to an animal can result in a five-year prison sentence, or a $2,500 fine.
�The MSPCA believes that drowning is a cruel, cruel way to euthanize an animal, and it is illegal,� she said.
In an interview June 21, Mr. Thayer said he didn�t know that drowning a kitten was against the law and he had �been doing it for a hundred years.�
While police cited what they called a feral cat problem as one of the factors in their decision not to charge Mr. Thayer with animal cruelty, Mr. Thayer told the Telegram & Gazette that the bothersome felines on his property are not feral. The Thayer family has said they suspect a former neighbor abandoned the cats.
Mrs. Hill also alleged that Mr. Thayer�s 5-year-old great-grandson was standing behind his great-grandfather when he tried to kill the cat. A DSS official contacted by the Telegram & Gazette declined to comment on the matter.
Ms. Allenberg said that animals need humans to talk for them and she is happy that that the incident is getting attention from the public.
The kitten, Lucky Girl, is in the custody of Mrs. Hill�s mother this week and is doing fine. | Source: Worcester Telegram - July 5, 2006
Update posted on Jul 5, 2006 - 6:12PM |
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