Press release from PETA:
At around 8:30 on Saturday morning, a passerby discovered a cat inside a plastic bin—which was taped shut with duct tape and had no holes or other means of ventilation—abandoned on the side of the road at the intersection of Munson and Gilbert streets in Le Roy.
Officers believe that the male long-haired cat had been left there for approximately 20 minutes, and surveillance footage shows a white pickup truck at the scene.
The cat, now named Munson, is currently at the Genesee County Animal Shelter, but police have yet to determine who's responsible for abandoning him and leaving him to suffocate.
That's why PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction on cruelty-to-animals charges of the person or persons responsible for this crime.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that "animals are not ours to abuse in any way"—is also asking residents in the area to help spread the word and put up free downloadable posters (available here) in businesses and schools, on bulletin boards, and anywhere else that they're allowed to display them.
Someone may recognize this cat, and it might be the only way to apprehend those responsible for this cruel act.
If someone hadn't found him in time, this frightened cat would almost certainly have died inside that plastic box," says PETA Vice President Colleen O'Brien.
"PETA is calling on anyone who recognizes this cat to come forward immediately so that whoever shut him in this container and left him to suffocate can be held accountable and stopped from hurting anyone else."
Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to call the Le Roy Police Department at 585-345-6350.
For more information, please visit PETA.org.
Photos courtesy of the Le Roy Police Department.
