San Benito County Woman Faces Felony Animal Cruelty Charge
A San Benito County woman was recently arrested on suspicion of felony animal cruelty for allegedly neglecting to seek and provide medical care for her cat that was suffering from an infection, resulting in the animal’s death.
According to a press release by Hollister PD, Ritsuko Nakaya faces a charge of felony animal cruelty after Animal Control Officers found her cat suffering from a preventable paralysis caused by an infected abscess. The incident happened on March 22, when a concerned citizen took the injured cat to a local veterinary office.
The veterinary staff informed the authorities that Nakaya had failed to treat her cat’s condition and left the facility against the professional medical advice of the veterinarian, police said.
Upon receiving the complaint, Animal Control Officers immediately responded to Nakaya’s residence to issue her a veterinary treatment notice, urging her to provide the necessary care to her animal to avoid any legal enforcement. However, Nakaya reportedly became uncooperative throughout the investigation, leading the officers to draft a warrant to search the property.
On March 27, Animal Control Officers, along with the Hollister Police Department, served the search warrant at Nakaya’s residence. They located and took possession of the animal and rushed it to a local veterinary office for treatment.
Unfortunately, the cat’s condition was severe, and it had no function of its back legs, making it impossible for the animal to return to function even with extensive and aggressive treatment. The cat was humanely euthanized due to its poor prognosis and quality of life concerns, police said.
The investigation revealed that Nakaya had subjected her animal to needless suffering, inflicted unnecessary cruelty upon an animal, and abused an animal, all of which violate California animal cruelty laws.
Hollister Police Animal Care and Services would like to remind the public that such actions are unlawful and punishable. Any person having charge or custody of any animal, either as an owner or otherwise, must not subject any animal to needless suffering or abuse. A violation of this subdivision is punishable as a felony by imprisonment, a fine of not more than $20,000; or both.
