Charges possible in Thunder Bay cat abandonment case

An investigator with the Ontario SPCA in Thunder Bay, says that it is possible to lay charges in a recent cat abandonment case in the city, but currently the investigation hinges on whether or not officials can uncover any further information.

23 cats were crammed into a dog kennel and left at Wilson Street park on Tuesday, without food or water. One kitten was found dead by city animal control officers, and another was later put down.

The dead kitten was probably about two months old, said the SPCA's Jeremy Gardiner.

Gardiner said that right now, he's looking for anyone with information to come forward.

"It's in a fairly busy place in town, it's off a little side street," Gardiner said, "but, someone brings out a big dog crate that like and just dumps it on the side of the street at a park, you're hoping someone has seen that."

Charges could be laid either under the criminal code, or provincial animal cruelty legislation, Gardiner said.

Jody Kondrat, with the Thunder Bay animal services centre, said there are more questions than answers at this point.

"We don't know who owns the cats," Kondrat said, "or when the cat carrier was left at the park, or by whom, and we're treating these cats as strays right now."

"[The cats] were basically jammed right in there," Gardiner added, "there's no leg room in there, so they were just on top of each other."

The cats are expected to be taken in by the humane society in Thunder Bay.

Investigators are encouraging anyone with information to contact the Ontario SPCA, or Thunder Bay Police.