Cat stolen from Shoreline cat rescue found dead

Stolen from Shoreline shelter and killed

A cat stolen from a cat rescue in Shoreline yesterday was found dead in a nearby dumpster. The cat’s head had been crushed.

Tuesday around 12pm a volunteer with the Whisker City Cat Rescue, in the 1600 block of N183rd St, called police when she noticed an outside cat shelter had been broken into and the cat which had been housed inside was missing.

Shoreline Police responded and investigated the theft and burglary to the shelter. Inside the shelter police found a yellow blanket with green writing on it that said, “The homeless need a home… just not my backyard, not Richmond Beach.”

Just before 5pm the employee called police again and said she found the missing cat, dead in the facilities dumpster. The cat’s head had been crushed in.

King County Animal Control was advised and Shoreline Police returned to the scene. The cat’s body was eventually given to the owner who said she would take it to her vet for an examination.

In spite of widespread social media reports to the contrary, the King County Sheriff's Office says that "At this point there is no evidence that the cat was tortured prior to being killed."

The case has been turned over to a King County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes detective who will conduct the investigation of the animal’s death.

The King County Sheriff’s Office and Shoreline Police said they are only aware of one other animal cruelty case involving an animal’s death nearby and which occurred in Edmonds in August.

The King County Sheriff’s Office detective handling the case has been in contact with the Edmonds detective about the cases. There is no evidence at this time linking the cases.

If you have any information about this case, please call the King County Sheriff’s Office at 206-296-3311.