Festive holiday decoration too much for some people.

[Shockeye]

Cat hanging from lamppost upsets family
By RITA FARLOW
Published December 11, 2005

ST. PETERSBURG - Edith Houston was still asleep early Wednesday morning when she heard her 17-year-old daughter crying out for her.

"My daughter ran into the house. She was shaking, she was so nervous," said Houston.

Houston emerged from her bedroom to find both her daughter and 19-year-old niece visibly upset. A black cat was hanging from the family's 6-foot lamppost next to the driveway of their home at 3276 65th Way Circle N in St. Petersburg.

Houston looked out the window and saw the lifeless form dangling from the pole; her daughter picked up the phone to call the police. Houston said the scene was so upsetting she couldn't bring herself to go outside until a St. Petersburg police officer arrived.

"I didn't want to go out. I was kind of afraid to," Houston said.

Houston, who has lived in the neighborhood for about 20 years, said that neither she nor her neighbors had ever seen the cat before. The cat, a black, domestic shorthair that looked to be about 3 years old, had no collar or microchip to help with identification, said SPCA of Tampa Bay humane officer Rick Levi. The cat did not appear to be a stray, Levi said. Even though they did not recognize the cat, Houston said she and her family were very distressed.

"It felt like losing a family member. We were so upset. We couldn't eat, our stomachs were so upset," Houston said.

Levi, who was called to the scene by police to help investigate, said the cat had been struck on the head before someone hung it from the lamppost. Levi said he can't recall a similar case with a cat, though he did investigate a case involving an opossum that had been bludgeoned and hung from a city light pole in Seminole last year. In that case, a Largo man was charged with animal cruelty and sentenced in September to two years in prison.

Houston said she doesn't know if her family's home was chosen randomly or if it was targeted by someone. Houston said she had the lamppost removed on Thursday because each time they walked out of the house, it brought back memories.

"I hope that they catch these people who are doing these things to an animal. It (looked like) a very nice cat. It's a shame," said Houston.
HOW TO HELP

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the St. Petersburg Police Department at 893-7780 or the SPCA of Tampa Bay at 586-3591, ext. 135.