> If a cat came scratching at me, I most likely would kick or beat the cat, too.
You can’t be serious. I hate cats — I’m a dog owner — but I can’t envisage a situation where I might kick or beat a domestic cat. Certainly not to death, and certainly not in front of children. Would you really do that? I don’t believe it.
A full-on Feral cat might be a different story: for one thing it would be much bigger than 7 lbs, and for another thing it would be a matter of self-defense. But feral cats — the real ones — are in short supply in Worcester, Massachusetts: there are none. In this case we’re talking about a 7 lb domestic kitty who had just given birth to kittens. Somebody’s pet.
Pretty shameful act, even if you don’t like cats.
Fawn — ping
Dawn — apologies for the ping: finger slipped.
I suppose if he’d have killed, butchered, and stir fried it for dinner he’d be OK.
Yes, I am serious. If a cat came scratching at me, my immediate reaction would be to kick or beat the cat, even if my own children were watching. I believe anyone would have the same reaction.
As I said, there could be more to the story. Someone here said he went back later to beat the cat to death; if so, then the story is different. But, if he’s beating a cat away from him and his dog, then he’s justified.
I grew up next door to relatives who had a houseful of pets at one point. Among other animals, there were three cats and a cute, friendly puppy. Those cats were mean. They hung together, constantly chasing and attacking the dog. The dog was afraid of them. Some cats are mean, and they will scratch someone up. Don’t be fooled by their appearance. ;-)
A full-on Feral cat might be a different story: for one thing it would be much bigger than 7 lbs, and for another thing it would be a matter of self-defense. But feral cats — the real ones — are in short supply in Worcester, Massachusetts: there are none. In this case we’re talking about a 7 lb domestic kitty who had just given birth to kittens. Somebody’s pet.
Pretty shameful act, even if you don’t like cats.
I don't particularly care for cats, and I would never do that to a cat, but I can understand kicking it to try to repel it. I'm not sure of the weight range for "full-on" feral cats. Those I have seen are not larger than domestic cats, and are sometimes smaller/leaner. I'm also not sure why this guy would be expected to calculate the odds that this is a feral/domestic cat while he is being attacked without provocation, or how he is expected to know the cat has recently had kittens.
All that being said, I think it is reasonable that he should be able to defend himself. Should he have killed the animal? No. I really doubt anything beyond driving the cat away was necessary, and I think he should be investigated and possibly prosecuted.