Reward offered for cat torturer

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Mia, the cat whose tail has been cut off, is home recovering with her owner. A reward has been posted for the arrest and conviction of her owners.

GLANDORF — Putnam Pet Pals has posted a $1,250 reward for the arrest and conviction of the people who cut off a cat’s tail last weekend.

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office is investigating leads, but no charges have been filed, said Randy Weller, a deputy with the agency.

The cat, named Mia, is now recuperating after surgery.

On May 31, the cat’s owner and the cat were sitting on the owner’s front porch on Lake Shore Drive. The owner went inside for a moment, according to daughter Dianna Brinkman.

When the owner came back outside, she saw a teen running from the porch with 1-year-old Mia. The mother heard Mia screaming, and then the vehicle drove off.

When Mia ran back, the woman saw the cat’s flesh on her tail had been cut off, only leaving the bone behind.

The cat was treated by Dr. Steve Barthelmas, a doctor of veterinary medicine with the Ottawa Veterinary Clinic. An anonymous donor paid for the surgery, and the office offered the medical care at cost.

The original bill of $500 was reduced by the office and covered by multiple donations, Barthelmas said.

Only a few inches of skin remained at the base of the tail, Barthelmas said.

“It was a perfect circle going all the way around there, and everything back of that was basically stripped out,” he said. “Once you get to that point, there’s really no other option other than a complete tail amputation.”

It isn’t clear exactly how the people injured the cat. The bone wasn’t broken.

“It was just a little too perfect to think that it was some sort of accidental-type issue,” he said.

When Mia came into his care, Barthelmas said an infection had already settled into her tissue.

“If we had waited just a few more days, things could have gotten really bad,” he said.

If anyone would like to add to the reward offered by the pet adoption agency, send donations to Putnam Pet Pals at P.O. Box 143, Glandorf, OH 45848.

Anyone with information can call the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office at 419-523-3208.