An Esquimalt man has been charged with assault and animal cruelty after he dumped his roommate’s cat into a container full of water.
Victoria Police were called to a residence in the 600-block of Head Street in Esquimalt just after 7 p.m. on Tuesday after a woman arrived home to find blood stains and her cat missing.
“She reported that her roommate told her he had been bitten by her cat,” VicPD media spokesman Bowen Osoko said in a statement. “When she asked where her cat was, her roommate allegedly assaulted her and then fled on a bicycle.”
The woman was not seriously injured in the assault and the roommate was located by officers a short while later and then taken into custody.
Cat Found in Distress
He refused to provide information as to the cat’s whereabouts.
Officers searched the property and located the cat inside a cat carrier which appeared to have been submerged in a large amount of water in an industrial waste container.
“The cat was in clear medical distress and brought to a downtown animal hospital,” said Osoko.
VicPD officers paid the initial costs to diagnose the cat. However, an outpouring of offers to support the victim and the costs of her cat’s veterinary care have since flooded in.
The cost of veterinary care has been covered and the cat is on the mend.
The suspect faces one charge of assault and one charge of animal neglect/cruelty.
