An animal cruelty investigation is underway, after a cat was buried in a dumpster and left to die in Pouce Coupe this week.
The BC SPCA says the one-year-old muted tortoiseshell cat named Rosie was found stuffed in a cardboard box under a pile of garbage.
Her legs were forced behind her neck and restrained with zip ties.
BC SPCA South Peace Branch manager Wendy Davies says she was found by a man who was looking for empty bottles outside the Hillcrest Motel around 11:30 p.m. on Monday night, when he heard a sound.
“He dug under the piles of garbage and discovered the cat inside a taped box with her limbs zip-tied together,” said Davies in a media release.
The man freed the cat and took her to the SPCA’s branch in Dawson Creek the next morning, she said.
Fortunately, Rosie had no lasting medical issues.
“If that gentleman hadn’t found her when he did, though, there’s no doubt she would have suffocated,” added Davies.
“It is heartbreaking to think how much she was suffering and how terrified she must have been.”
Investigators are now working to learn how the cat ended up in the dumpster. They were able to use the cat’s tattoo and microchip to trace her owner, who had reported the pet missing around 8:30 p.m. on Monday.
Davies said it appears Rosie was taken, bound and buried deliberately.
Anyone with information is asked to call the BC SPCA’s toll-free animal cruelty hotline at 1-855-622-7722.