ABILENE, TX – Abilene Animal Services received a call from a resident who said there was a cat stuck in a fence. When Animal Control arrived on Blair Street to pick up the cat, they noticed the cat was also caught in an illegal animal trap.
“There are traps that are definitely legal to use, but it is against ordinance to use these leg hold traps,” said Interim Abilene Animal Services Director Mike Bricker.
According to Bricker the cat could have been caught in the trap anywhere within a two-mile radius of where it was found. When the cat was brought to the shelter, they had a tough decision to make.
“Our veterinarian took a look at the cat, and the cat wasn’t doing well at all. The cat lost a lot of blood. It just wasn’t doing well at all. So we made the decision to humanely euthanize, very soon after the cat came to us,” said Bricker.
Instead of people taking matters into their own hands, Bricker says Abilene residents should utilize the services the city has in place for dealing with large populations of cats.
“We have a Community Cat Program, we do T&R, we do things that are proven, and are effective methods of taking large groups of cats, and over time making them smaller, and smaller, and smaller,” said Bricker.
Members of the Abilene community have shared their concerns on social media about the possibility of more traps being out there.
In an effort to protect more animals and even children from falling victim to one of these traps, Bricker warns that everyone should be on the lookout for them moving forward.
“Keep an eye out. Front-yards, backyards, wooded areas for anything like a small metal trap,” said Bricker.
Bricker says he plans to better inform the Abilene community about the city’s ordinance, with hopes of more people learning these traps cannot and should not be used in the City of Abilene.
