GILROY
– Gilroy police ordered an autopsy of two cats that died over
the weekend on Ronan Avenue.
By Lori Stuenkel
GILROY – Gilroy police ordered an autopsy of two cats that died over the weekend on Ronan Avenue.
The two animals, owned by Ronan Avenue resident Dawn Appelman and her mother, died within a day of each other over the weekend, one in the presence of a Gilroy Police Department officer.
Police expect to have a necropsy report from the autopsy by the end of the month, said Community Service Officer Maria Cabatingan.
“We’re looking for poisoning, because it was indicated by Mrs. Appelman that that’s what’s been happening,” she said.
The most recent cat deaths follow a reported six mysterious cat deaths in February and a dog death late last month, police say, although Appelman has said the count is higher – upward of 20 animals. Also, she says she found 12 dead cats last fall.
The previous cats were not sent for autopsies because their bodies were not recovered as quickly as these most recent animals, Cabatingan said.
Appelman said her mother found the first cat dead at 12:20 p.m. on Saturday in front of their house at 100 Ronan Ave. The cat had last been seen around 8:30 p.m. Friday.
About 3 a.m. Sunday morning, the second cat was found, still alive, in Appelman’s home.
“He was gasping for air and crying with a howl,” Appelman said. “You could see he was suffering, he wasn’t doing good at all.”
An officer who saw the cat reported it was restless, foaming at the mouth and mewing a lot, Cabatingan said.
City Councilman Bob Dillon, concerned about the reports of dead animals and Appelman’s suspicions of poisoning, asked police to keep him updated on their findings.
“I was kind of curious at the time of what was happening, because my concern about it is for the animals, but also in case a small child is in the area and picks up some of the bait, if that’s what’s going on,” he said.
Appelman has long suspected someone is poisoning animals on Ronan Avenue. When her dog died late last month, she paid to have an autopsy completed, although the animal could not be tested for strychnine poisoning, which she suspected caused its death.
A veterinarian indicated the dog died due to diet-related problems, after being fed table scraps of meat.
