$1,000 reward offered in case where Massachusetts cat was bound and shot to death

Officials are investigating a disturbing case of animal cruelty.

The Cambridge Police Department, Animal Commission and MSPCA-Angell’s Law Enforcement Division are seeking help from the public to identify whomever is responsible for binding and shooting a young male cat found dead near the intersection of Hurley and Sciarappa Street in Cambridge, Mass. at approximately 8 a.m. on Thursday morning.

An Animal Control Officer with the Cambridge Animal Commission responded to a call about a cat crying underneath a car and discovered that the cat, whose hind legs were bound with masking tape, had already died. The Animal Control Officer brought the cat to Angell Animal Medical Center in Jamaica Plain, where Pathologist Pam Mouser performed a necropsy. A large percentage of the cat’s fur was missing, and the animal suffered multiple BB gunshot wounds across its face and body.

The cat is described as mostly black and shorthaired, with patches of white on its face, neck and paws. The cat weighed 12.3 lbs. Anyone with information is urged to call the MSPCA’s Law Enforcement phone number at 800-628-5808 or the Cambridge Police Dept. at 617-349-3300.

The MSPCA is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an animal cruelty conviction. Animal cruelty is a felony crime in Massachusetts punishable by up to seven years in prison and a maximum fine of $5,000.

The Cambridge Animal Commission encourages any cat owners in the area to keep their cats indoors.