AUSTIN, Texas – A guy in an East Austin neighborhood wants a thorough investigation after discovering two dead cats in his front yard two days in a row.
Todd Williams claims his Colony Park neighborhood is no stranger to stray animals. On any given morning, he says he sees nine to ten cats coming to eat, hang around, and stroll about his yard.
Williams, an animal lover with his cat, welcomes them with open arms and believes it is the proper thing to do for them.
“There are a lot of them that were clearly emaciated and hadn’t eaten and you just wanna make sure that they eat,” says Williams. “They would just roam the neighborhood and not mess with anyone.”
Williams claims that over the last few months, he has gradually ceased seeing the stray cats that would appear in his yard every morning.
Two days ago, he discovered one dead in his yard.
“We thought, ‘Okay, perhaps it was hit by a car or something. “It happens,” Williams said. “Then the second one popped up the very next day that had been shoved in a box, essentially, intentionally, and had passed for some time.”
Williams spotted two dead cats in his yard on consecutive days. He added both cats appeared to be between six months and a year old and could have come from the same litter.
“It’s horrifying,” Williams added. “My partner walked in, astonished and barely able to talk. “I mean, we both enjoy animals.”
According to Williams, he called 311, but the agency could only pick up the dead.
Williams claims to have spoken with folks a few neighborhoods down who have also reported seeing dead animals. He says he isn’t sure if someone is dropping off cats at random, but it can’t go on.
“You don’t want them to be purposely hurt. “It’s just not that good,” Williams explained.
Williams said he’s put cameras to see if it happens again and, hopefully, catch whoever is responsible.
KVUE contacted APD’s animal cruelty section, and detectives advised that if there are allegations of animal abuse, call 911 right away so that police can respond and collect evidence.
The APD’s animal cruelty team, which consists of four officers, says it handles 800 animal cruelty incidents each year.