Stabbing of Cat Is Under Investigation

Santa Paula police are investigating the stabbing of a cat, authorities said Friday.

The cat was attacked Tuesday in a mobile home on Richmond Road in Santa Paula, police said, after its owner apparently became infuriated and drove a 4-inch buck knife into its upper back. The blade exited the cat’s chest, police said.

“The cat surprisingly survived,” said Cmdr. Bob Gonzales of the Santa Paula Police Department.

Gonzales said his office would present a case to the district attorney’s office early next week. He said he believed a felony charge of animal cruelty would be filed against the Santa Paula man. The man, who has not been arrested, would likely be notified of the charge by mail, Gonzales said.

The man’s wife, who was not at home when the attack occurred, called the Humane League in Oxnard, which sent out two representatives to rescue the cat. The cat had been tossed on a patio and left for dead, said Julie Robinson, the league’s director of cats.

Robinson and her husband has been caring for the cat since it was stitched up by their veterinarian, she said. Robinson was also given the knife by the man’s wife, which police plan to recover next week.