HdG Cat Killer Focus of Animal Cruelty Investigation

HAVRE DE GRACE, MD - After a cat was slain on Water Street recently, the Havre de Grace Police Department has been investigating to find out who is responsible and animal advocates have been assisting.

The deceased cat was found with visible injuries in the 600 block of Water Street between Wednesday, Jan. 25, and Thursday, Jan. 26, according to police.

"I have several leads I am currently running on this case," Detective Chester Norton told Havre de Grace Patch this week. Norton said that evidence was being processed from the crime scene.

When found, the cat was accompanied by a note, according to Stray Streets, a group that works to provide compassionate care to cat colonies living in Havre de Grace. "The cats must go," said the sign next to the slain animal.

"We are taking this seriously," Tamara Strickler, who runs Stray Streets, said. "These are not unloved animals. These are animals that are valued. They do serve a purpose; they get rid of the mice and rats. If we didn't have cats, you would be surprised how quickly the vermin would overtake the city."

According to Strickler, most cat colonies are made up of animals that people discarded. She and other volunteers check on the colonies around the city, including the one on Water Street. There are 22 cat colonies between MD 155 and the waterfront, she said, and Stray Streets helps keep the animals and people safe by trapping, sterilizing and releasing them.

The Water Street cat is not the only one who has been killed, according to Strickler. One was shot with a BB gun and others were poisoned last summer. "It's not an acceptable solution to this problem," she said.

The Havre de Grace Police Department asks anyone with information about these crimes to contact the criminal investigation division at 410-939-2121, extension 1154, and reference case number 2017-00022135.

Patch file photo.