A 20-year-old man from the area of North Cowichan/Duncan on Vancouver Island has been arrested after a video showing alleged animal abuse was reportedly shared on Snapchat.
The North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP confirm it is investigating a report of animal cruelty and say further charges are being considered against other youth involved.
Details about the alleged animal abuse are not being released by RCMP but reports say the video showed a cat drugged, shaved and thrown out a window. The video was then reportedly sent via Snapchat to the cat owner’s daughter.
A vet and the cat’s owner confirm its urine samples tested positive for MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy.
The suspect has been identified as Joshua Lemire. He is facing one count of causing unnecessary pain and suffering to an animal.
Olivia Thoresen, 21, tells Global News she and her friend Emily Mitchell found the cat, named Gigi, Tuesday evening on a walk to a corner store near the Sherman soccer field in Duncan.
She said Gigi was alive.
Thoresen added the person who posted the video on social media is a friend of the cat owner’s daughter.
Sharline Haglund, Gigi’s owner, said the cat escaped from her Duncan home on Monday.
She said her daughter received notifications on her phone from someone who showed pictures and said they had the cat.
“When we got her home, we realized that someone had put ‘666’ in her ear and she had sort of orange spots,” she said.
“Then we had heard they gave her a bleach bath.”
RCMP said it received a report of animal cruelty on Nov. 21.
They are asking the public to let the police complete the investigation and respect the judicial process.
“We are always concerned when people decide to bypass law enforcement and take matters into their own hands. When that happens there is a risk that investigations can be jeopardized and key evidence can be lost,” Mounties said in a release.
“Although we can appreciate that this matter has upset many people, vigilantism will not be tolerated.”
The SPCA has also been engaged and the file remains under investigation.
The vet expects Gigi to make a full recovery.
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