NEWS: Wal-Mart Workers Accused of Shooting Cat

Two Wal-Mart managers who were following the directions of another manager have been charged with Federal animal cruelty following their shooting of a stray cat. Ordered to get rid of the stray which was living in a storage trailer behind the store, shot the animal and then shrink wrapped it. A truck drive making a delivery informed authorities. All three have been suspended by Wal-Mart pending an internal investigation



You just have to wonder what any of them were thinking? Why not just call animal control and let them deal with the problem. Its unclear if the cat was causing any problems either. The one thing I am curious about is the fact that it�s a federal crime? You would think that the state would already have an animal cruelty law in place?

Have to agree, why couldn't they just phone the local pest control? I don't think letting off firearms in the vicinity of a Walmart is too sensible, certainly not good for business.

Also, I had to smile at the "we were only following orders" excuse. What happened to common sense and independent thought?

I can see it now:-

MANAGER: Guys, we got a rude customer complaining about something by the checkouts. Go and sort him out will you.

At which point the 2 muppets go off and merrily pistol-whip the customer.

When questioned by police "we were only doing what the manager told us to do".

This is just plain silly IMO. Which is more cruel to the cat; to shoot it and kill it quickly and relatively painlessly or to catch it in a net or a noose have it panick while it is stuffed into a cage dragged off to a animal shelter where it is left in a cage for a week or two scared and out of its element and then put in a gas chamber and killed anyway?

The walmart employees did nothing wrong other than to have some bleeding heart peta person see them do the right thing. Stray cats breed rabies and a host of other diseases for which Walmart could be sued if they did not dispose of the cat. Its not like they set the cats tail on fire or beat it to death. They shot it, probably in the head. The animal felt little or no pain and suffered little or no fear. What is so cruel about that?

Pigs, cows, chickens, turkeys and a host of other food animals suffer much worse fates every day than this nuicance cat did, but because some people are emotionally attached to cats they react without thinking and scream cruelty to animals. WOuld these fellows have been arrested if they shot a rat or a snake?

The hypocrisy in this story is blatant and sad. To think that three valuable human beings, two of which probably have families with children will be subjected to hearings and trials and will probably have their main source of income compromised over this is just intollerable.

You assume the employees actually hit the cat and killed it first time. I was watching something yesterday about animals which have shot at and injured. The clean kill isn't a certainty.

I think the concern isn't that the cat was killed - that was almost the most likely outcome. I don't think Walmart company policy is for staff to let off firearms on their property.

Would you feel the same if the they missed and the bullet went into your yard and you or your kids.

Also, I'd be a bit concerneed if I went there shopping and could here gunfire coming from the back of the shop.

Regardless of the animal welfare aspects of this story, they seem to be in serious breech of their employment terms. So if they did it, sack them asap.

Originally posted by Johannmon
This is just plain silly IMO. Which is more cruel to the cat; to shoot it and kill it quickly and relatively painlessly or to catch it in a net or a noose have it panick while it is stuffed into a cage dragged off to a animal shelter where it is left in a cage for a week or two scared and out of its element and then put in a gas chamber and killed anyway?

How about catch it and return it to it's owners. Far more humane, why do humans feel they have the right to kill an animal just because they do not want it at that particular location. These guys deserve to be shot themselves, morons.

Originally posted by Johannmon
This is just plain silly IMO. Which is more cruel to the cat; to shoot it and kill it quickly and relatively painlessly or to catch it in a net or a noose have it panick while it is stuffed into a cage dragged off to a animal shelter where it is left in a cage for a week or two scared and out of its element and then put in a gas chamber and killed anyway?

The walmart employees did nothing wrong other than to have some bleeding heart peta person see them do the right thing. Stray cats breed rabies and a host of other diseases for which Walmart could be sued if they did not dispose of the cat. Its not like they set the cats tail on fire or beat it to death. They shot it, probably in the head. The animal felt little or no pain and suffered little or no fear. What is so cruel about that?

Pigs, cows, chickens, turkeys and a host of other food animals suffer much worse fates every day than this nuicance cat did, but because some people are emotionally attached to cats they react without thinking and scream cruelty to animals. WOuld these fellows have been arrested if they shot a rat or a snake?

The hypocrisy in this story is blatant and sad. To think that three valuable human beings, two of which probably have families with children will be subjected to hearings and trials and will probably have their main source of income compromised over this is just intollerable.

Many cats today are microchipped. If it was a lost cat, as opposed to a feral cat, yes, you take it to the SPCA and you scan the animal for a chip. If the cat is chipped it gets returned to the owner. No bleeding heart here--its called returning lost property. Sort of like if a car was left on the parking lot of Walmart, they can't just go and blow it up. They need to get it towed and find the owner.

Additionally, the animal can be adopted at the SPCA. Or, here's an idea, find a Walmart employee who wants the cat. People are always willing to adopt a cat, especially if the option is some idiots shooting it in the back of the store. I guarantee one employee would have taken that cat home and adopted it that day and none of this would have been a problem.

Furthermore, even if the cat was feral, they can spade/neuter it at the animal shelter, so even if it is returned to the wild, it will not be much of a problem. Gee, it must be really terrible to have an animal in your warehouse that has been selectively bred for the very task you need in a warehouse--rodent control. For very little cost and attention that cat could have lived there without any trouble and killed plenty of rodents that certainly do live in the Walmart warehouse.

Lastly, please show me data that cats are major carriers of rabies--or how many instances of rabies in stray cats that there are annually in the US. The incidence rate is pretty low. And if the cat wasn't rabid it could easily be vaccinated for that, so that is not a big deal either.

Ok not lastly, but yes, I'd get pretty pissed if they shot a snake too. You don't go around shooting predators that are doing something useful for us in the ecosystem. Rodents are not good--they are disease carriers. Snakes and cats good. And people do complain about the suffering of animals everyday actually. Its not just cats. But cats can't help it if they're smarter and better than other animals and deserve a higher level of treatment.

I'm a young adult, and as I continue to live in this world, the more I lose faith in it. This is coming from a guy who's always been happy-go-lucky not a care in the world. I've become so cynical, that all I can hear anymore coming from the collective mouth of humanity is "It's not my problem".
Apathy ladies and gentleman, is the evil in this world. Of course you should always look out for #1 first, (I'm just learning that, and it's difficult for some people), but if I see a dog walking around in the neighborhood with a collar, I'm going to find it's owner!

And as far as depriving the animal of suffering in the shelter by shooting it, I look at it like this:
Life only happens once (as far as we know). No amount of suffering is a deterrant to give up the ONCE CHANCE any living creature has. That cat might've died miserably in the chamber, or he MIGHT have found a home. But by killing it, we've pretty much guaranteed it's fate, haven't we?
OR, we could simply avoid most of these situations altogether, by SPAYING AND NEUTERING OUR DANG PETS! For crying out loud...if you can't afford $60 for this procedure, you shouldn't be spending money you don't have on pet food.

And no, I'm not a vegetarian, lol. Cows are different, because they taste better than cats.

Yeah, if we ween't meant to eat cows they wouldn't be made out of meat :-)

Shrink wrapping the dead cat was sheer genius and no doubt indicative of why Walmart considered these gentlemen management material.

Folks during the holidays lets try to remember not to squeeze off too many rounds and sling a bunch of lead around residential or highly populated areas. No matter how many cats and dogs may be residing behind the dumpster.

There are armies of government and private citizens that make a handsome living properly disposing of unwanted animals. Please do not take the food off of their plates. Think of the bureaucrats!

Also lets not be a little Johhny rat on everyone and call the police if a dumbass shoots a cat. Simply inform the lame brain (by shouting) of the proper way to do these things and that you expect them to do so in the future and then shrink wrap the cat. Instead of sending the guy to jail for being a trog.

Hey, thats what happens when you give anyone the right to bear arms....what can i say? Just because someone doesnt have a "past" doesnt mean they're not froutloops in the head, you know?

Reminds me of Murder in the Cathedral and Thomas Beckett.

Will no one rid me of this meddlesome cat?

Anyone who kills a cat deserves death.
Also thell probably get fired for using/having a firearm, and if they dont that just shows you how screwed up this country is.

[edit on 12/30/2004 by iori_komei]

hey fred i think walmart should hire better managers.to think they could kill an animal and wrap it up like some shipping product thats sick.sick sick sick.walmart fire them and hand them over to the right justice people.........

I'm amazed at how much discussion is going on regarding this subject. I kinda figured it would quickly be diluted by senseless liberal no-fact emotional pleas. Rather I was very pleasantly surprised by several of the comments in so far as they were useful and inteligent insights into the problem.

dgtempe - if you take away the guns of a citizenry they lose the power to hold off their own army in case of dissension in the ranks. They also lose the ability to aid their army in times of civil defense. Also, why not restrict idiots instead of guns? Guns could even help with that task! LOL

AlexOdin - Shrink wrapping the cat was actually, all sarcasm aside, I think a smart move. That said, Walmart considers anything with a vaguely human appearance management material. You don't even need a fully functioning frontal cortex to get that job.
You also made an excellent point about the need for discretion when shooting guns. Many people in America and other countries fail to understand the fact that what goes up must come down.
I'm 100% in agreement with your statement about not sending this particular fool to prison. I think actually, we need to seriously think about releasing about 80% of those prisoners currently in custody, secret or otherwise. There are way too many people in prison already, adding more is like stuffing food into a ruptured stomach. We are causing our country great pains by our complacency and our refusal or inability to act to save those men and women.

Ghaleon
Lose all your faith in the world if you will, but it is entirely dependent on your paradigm for its state. You will find, upon much living, that heaven exists within hell, for those with eyes to see.
There is no reason to deny these creatures the right to breed. They have as much right to try and make a future for themselves on this earth as you. Leave them be, if they can survive, they are as strong of you. The fact that you possess the ability to stunt their development is no reason to do so. Think of the random consequences to evolution. Damage has already been observed in so called pure bred dogs. They are more retarded, more unhealthy, and more violent than their mut cousins. Just allow the process to continue as it will, and I'm sure no one will be disapointed with the results.

rg73

You are right on about rodent control using snakes and cats. Together the snakes and cats would develop an ecosystem with the rats, each feeding a little on the other two. The snakes would assure the cats never got out of control in numbers and vice versa, and the cats would control the rodents.

Lister
Your comment about Walmart employees not using firearms while working is probably not written in their company code. It may prohibit employees from bringing firearms to work, but I think it's such a far out there concept nobody thought to include a rule to that effect. However, it still showed horrendous judgement, and they should be fired for sheer stupidity.

Johannmon
These guys were idiots, and if they suffer for it, you should not feel sad. You should be overjoyed that the wonderous process of natural selection is alive and well and that survival of the fittest still applies. It's not like they're going to shoot the shooters, they're just going to hassle them and fine them, fire them and essentially deprive them of their comfortable little life. Who knows, maybe some good will come out of it in the end.

Those two kids are either totally retarded, or are the ultimate Yes men. Anyone has the right to refuse unsafe work. I would say placing a loaded gun into two walmart stockboys' hands and telling them to go shoot something is fairly unsafe. Those kids should have gone to higher authorities right away, and reported their loser of a boss.
I do understand the potential pressure they might have been under to follow through with an order from a superior though. Sometimes you do as you are told, or fear being fired for something stupid a few days later because you refused.
"What's that, you don't want to clean out the pig barn? Okay, that's fine!" Couple days later... "You are two minutes late! You are fired!"
That kind of scenario happens every day and could be a worry for some naive, unassuming kid, I suppose.
This is just another example of how poorly Wal-Mart treats animals though, so noone should be surprised at this situation. Have you ever walked by their fish tank setups? Extremely poor living conditions for the fish most of the time. There are almost always dead fish floating about each of the tanks, some half eaten with guts still hanging out. How would any of us appreciate living in a small closet with some our friends hanging about, half eaten with guts hanging out strewn all around? I can't imagine that being very pleasant, but yet they subject these poor innocent animals to these tortures throughout north america on a daily basis, and nobody gives it a second thought?
It is a strange world we live in where these tortures are allowed to go on without question, but one small incident with a little ball twisting in Iraq, and everyone wants to hang the president... Stange...
If anyone wants to tell me that that enemy torture in iraq is different than equivalent torture to animals here, you are wasting your time, and should seek treatment for low-enlightenment......

Sounds kind of strange. At the Wal-Mart in my town, also in Indiana, there is a cat that lives in lawn and garden. It tried to bite me when i was picking up plants one day. I said something to the employees and they said he had been living there for quite a while. He just doesn't like to be bothered. Not that I'm for killing cats, but it would be nice to not have to deal with them while shopping.

if you take away the guns of a citizenry they lose the power to hold off their own army in case of dissension in the ranks. They also lose the ability to aid their army in times of civil defense. Also, why not restrict idiots instead of guns? Guns could even help with that task!

Are you kidding? You think civilian weapons can defend one against the awesome power of the millitary?

Oh well this isnt the time or place to discuss that...... on to the "LETS RIP WALMART" news story.

Honestly, if this were an incident at Safeway or Target do you think it would have gotten the attention that it did?

I'm not condoning Wal-Mart or the cat murder.. These acts were the acts of two guys, who actually were happy to kill a cat. "My boss told me to do it" was just an excuse..

I've worked at a grocery store before and I have disobeyed orders because they were immoral and illegal. I was told to put a counterfeit $100 bill back into the till so that we dont come up short.. Well I grabbed a black marker and wrote FAKE on it. What were they going to do? lol

I have to agree that this was an ill-advised action, but federal charges and suspension without pay and possible dismisal for killing a cat? This is insanity. It's legal to kill a human fetus by the most atrocious means imaginable and it's illegal to kill a cat. Go figure.

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
I have to agree that this was an ill-advised action, but federal charges and suspension without pay and possible dismisal for killing a cat? This is insanity. It's legal to kill a human fetus by the most atrocious means imaginable and it's illegal to kill a cat. Go figure.

The fetus does not yet have a life, the cat did, go figure. I guess it is all about feeling that one is above another lifeform isn't it. A life is a life is it not?

Hmm, shot a cat and shrink-wrapped it... maybe a bonus dinner for some of the illegals working at Walmart?