i suspect this cat was killed on purpose...

[ThatVikRinA22]

friend called me today saying her daughter rang her crying saying one of her cats (just a kitten) was dying.
it was fitting apparently.
the cat had just crapped in the bedroom of her dd and her partner. partner is a thug. (his own mother has told friends dd not to even think about having children with him, and friend suspects he has hurt her dogs before now, causing one an injury, again she cant prove it)
when friend got there cat was floppy and dying, had blood coming from its nose, mouth and ears.
she thinks the dds boyfriend had caused this but says she cant prove it. She asked her dd who denied all knowledge. her dd was crying and upset but when the boyfriend got back he was unmoved and did/said nothing.
the cat is now buried.
an examination by a vet or the RSPCA would have proved whether cruelty was involved and the cat was killed deliberately.
she didnt think to call me.
they have another cat. im livid. i gave her dd a reference for their flat, and owning pets is not allowed in the lease. They do not allow the cats (now cat) out of the flat. They have also got into rent arrears.
ive told friend to try and get the other cat to me. i dont know their address or the landlord.
i dont want this to come between my friend and me, but im an animal lover and its really praying on my mind. ive told my friend that im upset and angry about it and that i suspect the cat was killed. She is currently really not well and says she just cant take any more stress. She has told her dd what she thinks of the boyfriend, but her dd has some sort of special needs and mental health issues and just isnt taking it on board.

what can i do? The friendship means a lot to me, though i suspect friend 'needs' me more than i need her practically speaking....that is not to say i dont love my friend dearly, but she does lean on me a huge amount, but she just isnt the same as me where animals are concerned.

i hate that i suspect the cat was killed deliberately.

[sunshine1991]

Call rspca or offer money to get the cat from them poor kitty i hope some1 comes to help soon

[RandomInternetStranger]

I would call the RSPCA but more than that I'd be speaking to the mother about more than the pets. There is a strong link between those who abuse animals and those who abuse their partners, you say he's a thug and emotionally detached from the obviously distressing situation and that the daughter is having a mental wobble at the moment. Is there a chance he is abusing her?? I may be way off base but having lived through it and researched it a lot since leaving the situation you describe is setting a lot of my alarm bells off. If that's the case I'd call the police.

[ThatVikRinA22]

i know all that - im a cop. ive told my friend that the risk factors go up if someone abuses kids or animals....

but friend says her dd is not being abused to her knowledge and unless i have anything concrete then there isnt much i can do. Also friend is at breaking point and just cant cope with more stress right now.

unless her dd chooses to say something there is little i can do. cats buried now - rspca do sod all for the living so i cant see what they would do for a dead and buried moggie.

im going to try and get the other one off them.

[cozietoesie]

There's so much potential trouble in this situation, Vicar. I would also want to try and get the other cat although it would likely be by some sort of wheedle so as to (temporarily) avoid antagonizing the bf - who sounds as if he could do even more damage than he has done so far.

Maybe this is one to ask MNHQ for a transfer to the Relationships Boards in view of the other issues involved?

[Lonecatwithkitten]

Even with a postmortem with conclusive evidence of trauma injuries without a witness or a confession any action would be impossible as the burden of proof would be too low.
Sadly we do see these cases where we are strongly suspicious of abuse, but are unable to prove it. I had a cock fighting case the other day injuries totally consistent with this, but no witnesses.

[Fluffycloudland77]

Try and get the other one off them. You could say you've been new cat broody & you'd love to take the cat etc.

It saves face then.

You can probably see its going to lead to dv eventually & possibly child abuse but its up to the mum to prevent that

He sounds a lowlife cunt who I'd like to see to see winched an inch at a time into boiling oil.

[KateSMumsnet]

Sorry to hear about this VicarInaTutu - we hope you get some useful responses on here, but do let us know if you'd like this thread moved to a different topic.