After a heated argument, a guy from Florida chopped off the tails of his neighbor's five, four-week-old kittens. This move is his form of revenge to the young feline's owner.
The suspect is named James Steele Reid, 68. His neighbor, on the other hand, is James Garemore, 78, a farm owner in Ocala where Reid is a volunteer. Although it was not yet revealed what caused the fight, Garemore told the helper to stay away from his kittens.
In a Facebook post by the Marion County Sheriff's Office, Reid had a verbal fight with Garemore. After that, he went his way from his house to the barn and got a pair of garden scissors and iodine. He told his co-worker that he would be cutting the kittens' tails.
Reid told the eyewitnesses that he wanted Garemore's wife to see his cats and think of him whenever he sees their mutilated tails. Later, one of the witnesses saw the defendant going out of the barn holding the small cats' tails.
Marion County Animal Control assisted in the investigation and its veterinarians noticed that the "tail docking" was improperly done. This was because of the kittens' young age and the accused did not use anesthetic and left the wounds cut open. The lack of anesthetic and stitch can affect the injuries' healing process.
The county government office's official said that the kittens' tails should also be docked when they are between three and five days old. Although the felines did not die, the cutting of the tails could result to permanent deformity. A photo taken by a law enforcer shows a white-and-black kitten placed near a tire with a mutilated tail.
"He's an evil person," a Marion County official said. Reid was arrested on Monday, Nov. 27. He is charged with animal cruelty and has posted $2,000 bond on the same day.
Reid has yet to comment on the issue, while the Garemores took time to respond.
