Reward offered in in case of abandoned kitten

Angela Soo

Thursday, July 5, 2001 | 10:42 a.m.

Animal rights activists are offering a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whomever left a kitten at a busy intersection last week.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the national animal rights group offering the reward, made the information public Tuesday.

The kitten received national attention last week when CNN's "Headline News" showed a rebroadcast of the tabby biting the police officer who rescued it near Sahara Avenue and Rainbow Boulevard.

Police said the cat was thrown from a moving vehicle.

Animals that bite are usually euthanasized, but animal lovers nationwide protested, successfully stopping any plans to put the kitten to sleep.

Clark County Animal Control has the kitten under quarantine and hopes to relocate the animal to a feral cat sanctuary.

PETA officials said they hoped to bring attention to a cycle of pet and domestic abuse.

"People who abuse animals rarely do it once, and they almost never stop there," Martin Mersereau, a caseworker for PETA, said. "This doesn't just happen in a vacuum. You don't just wake up and think of throwing a kitten out the door."

Carmen Arnhold, an animal control officer for the North Las Vegas Police Department, said 75 to 80 percent of her animal abuse cases involve abuse that occurs in the household. "We fear for the communities where these crimes occur," Mersereau said. "If there's animal abuse going on in the home, there's likely abuse going on with the spouse and children. And, more often than not, kids who abuse animals have been abused. It's an ugly cycle."

Currently 33 states have felony animal cruelty laws, according to the animal rights organization. This year, the Nevada Legislature passed a law making it a felony for a third offense -- and in some cases second offense -- of certain forms of animal cruelty. It became effective when it was signed on June 13.

However, Animal Control Manager Joe Boteihlo, said it is not yet known whether the law will apply in this case.

"It all depends on the circumstances and priors (of the person who eventually may be charged)," he said, noting that Senate Bill 62 became the first such animal cruelty felony law in the state.

The new law makes the first offense anywhere from a gross misdemeanor to a Category E felony, punishable by two days to six months in jail and a $200-$1,000 fine; the second offense anywhere from a Category E felony to Category D felony, punishable by 10 days to six months in jail, 100-200 hours of community service and a $500-$1,000 fine; and the third offense and subsequent offenses anywhere from a Category D felony to Category B felony, punishable by payment of restitution, 1-6 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

The Associated Press and Sun reporter Ed Koch

contributed to this report.