Cat shooting worries neighbors

SANDPOINT — Following a second neighborhood cat shooting in less than a year, Superior Street residents are worried about their pets as well as their own safety.   

Krystle Shapiro was at her home around 10 a.m. Monday when she heard a plaintive meowing at her back door. Ziggy, a year-old cat adopted from the shelter, was wounded and bleeding on the doorstep. Shapiro rushed her orange-and-white cat to the vet’s office, where she learned he had been shot with a .22-caliber bullet. While Ziggy will likely be OK, he has a long recovery and big medical expenses ahead of him.  

The news was disturbing to not just Shapiro, but many other neighbors as well. That’s because last May, neighbors Gregory and Natalie Larson were devastated when they discovered their cat, Riley, had been shot. Like Ziggy, he was hit with a .22-caliber bullet. However, his wounds were more severe and, ultimately, he had to be put to sleep.

“It’s the kind of thing that makes us feel helpless,” Shapiro said.

Disturbed by the possibility that a neighbor is shooting animals, Shapiro, the Larsons and other neighbors like Karen Forsythe are banding together to raise awareness throughout the neighborhood and keep one another safe. Their concerns are twofold: while they’re worried that their pets are being targeted, there’s also the possibility that an unfortunate gunshot could hit a neighbor or child, they said.

“I think we neighbors are going to have to keep watching the situation and cooperating to keep this from happening again,” Forsythe said.

The shootings break local and state laws on two fronts. First, it violates a city ordinance prohibiting residents from firing guns within city limits — a misdemeanor offense. According to Sandpoint Police Chief Corey Coon, it could also be a violation of Idaho’s law against cruelty to animals.

Shapiro and her neighbors have suspicions that the culprit is an individual with a history of threatening to shoot neighbor pets, they said. Sandpoint Police Captain Rick Bailey said officers have interviewed the specified individual, who denied involvement. Police will follow up with more interviews, but at this point, no charges are being filed.

There are a few complications with the case, Bailey added. For one, no one heard the fired shot. Given cats’ tendency to wander, it’s also difficult to prove that any one individual is responsible for the shooting.

According to Coon, the neighborhood collective is taking the right steps in addressing their concerns. For one thing, they brought the authorities in right away, which should always be a priority, he said. For another, they’re grouping together to make sure the neighborhood stays safe.

“It’s really important to know your neighbors,” he said. “The police can only be so many places at once, but neighbors can keep an eye out for each other.”

In the meantime, Shapiro and her neighbors are taking action to warn others of the potential danger. They intend to post signs throughout the neighborhood warning that animals are being shot and encouraging residents to talk with one another first if pets cause problems. While roaming cats can indeed be occasional annoyances, it doesn’t justify taking lethal action, Shapiro said.

“You scare them away — you don’t shoot them,” she said.