PLANTATION, FLA. (WSVN) - A Plantation man was caught on camera disposing of a live cat inside an airtight bin that was then left in the dumpster.
Plantation Police said a maintenance worker at Bryan Joseph’s condo complex discovered the live cat four hours after he dumped it on Feb. 6.
The bin was found with trash piled on top of it.
The incident report stated that “it should be noted that the container did not have any holes, food or water for the cat to survive.”
“Can you imagine what this cat was going through in this container?” said animal rescuer Amy Roman with the 100+ Abandoned Dogs of Everglades Florida.
Roman learned about the incident through a volunteer of her animal rescue group.
“Disbelief. Anger. What kind of world do we live in? He needs to pay,” Roman said.
The 8-month-old cat is expected to be OK and is now in a safe place.
“He’s very scared. He’s hiding behind everything he can find,” said Colleen Moriarty, who is fostering the cat. “I’ve never seen a cat this terrified before.”
Moriarty is focusing on helping the cat build trust.
Meanwhile, 7News visited Joseph’s home, but the woman who answered the door said he wouldn’t talk.
According to the incident report, “Joseph stated that he disposed of the cat because it attempted to scratch his son’s leg.”
Police said that is no excuse for animal abuse and that the case is headed to the Broward County State Attorney for review.
“It’s just a cruel thing for people to do something to an innocent animal,” said Roman.
“It’s just unacceptable, and he needs to pay for what he did,” added Moriarty.
Police told 7News they are confident that the state attorney’s office will issue formal charges to Joseph.
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