No answers from Vryheid police regarding cat hanged outside the station

No answers have been received from Vryheid SAPS regarding the cat that was found hanging from its rear leg from a pole outside the station.

Concerned resident, Chris van Eck, captured the horrific scene using his cell phone camera on Sunday night, and posted it on Facebook shortly thereafter.

The response his post received from the Vryheid community ranged from utter disbelief to outright rage, with many threatening to hang the guilty party in the same way, should they be found.

Mr Van Eck told the Vryheid Herald that he had been driving along Landdrost Street that night to buy coffee, when the scene caught his eye.

“I saw something hanging, so I made a u-turn and to take a closer look. The cat was tied to the pole with a plastic rope a short way off the ground. Its body was still warm which seemed to indicate that it hadn’t died a long time ago, but there were no visible injuries on the cat’s body. There were two policemen standing in the doorway to the station, and one police officer in a private vehicle parked on the side of the road. None of them did or said anything, nor did they make any attempt to remove the cat,” said Mr Van Eck.

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“I took a photo but I didn’t remove the cat, because I was uncertain about what I should do. Seeing the cat like that made me feel so sad. I have pets of my own and they are like family. I posted the photo on Facebook, hoping that, if someone saw what had happened, they would come forward. How can you inflict such pain on an innocent creature. The police should have taken the cat down immediately and tried to find out who was responsible.”

Vryheid SAPS communications officer, Captain Cheryl Venter, said she took the matter very seriously and was looking into it. “It is unacceptable that the members on duty did nothing,” she said.

Vryheid SPCA vice chairman, Stephan Vickers, said he couldn’t believe how inhumane people could be. “I think this is an absolute disgrace in a community that cares for animals. I hope that the cat was not alive when it was hanged, as it surely would have suffered. If the guilty person is caught, we will definitely prosecute with assistance from the NSPCA (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals).”

“Mahatma Gandhi said that the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated,” said DA councilor, Alta de Kock. “That is exactly how I feel. I think what was done to the cat is sick.”

Cllr De Kock is currently looking closely at the municipal by-laws that relate to the keeping of domestic animals to ensure that Vryheid’s fur kids are safe and protected.

At this stage, it is considered unlikely that the cat was hanged for any ritualistic purposes and appears to be more the work of a cruel sadist.