Ninth cat found mutilated in Thurston County, officials say



OLYMPIA, Wash. -- A ninth mutilated cat has been found in Thurston County, Animal Services said Tuesday.

The 11-year-old cat, named Midnight, went missing on Sunday and the owners found the cat Monday near Lilly Road SE and Pacific Avenue SE in Olympia, the agency said. The cat had been beaten and cut open and several internal organs removed, officials said.

“I found him on his birthday gone, so sad,” said Rhonda Woodworth, the cat’s owner.

Woodworth says her cat would not come in Sunday night. She says she, unfortunately, found her cat the next day.

“He was totally strewn out, flat as a pancake,” she said.

A necropsy was underway Tuesday afternoon.

“It’s not only a safety issue for the pets, but a public safety issue because we have som0one that is out there that is very sick and needs to be caught,” said Erika Johnson with the Thurston County Animal Services.

Johnson is working to determine whether yet another mutilated cat is linked to the seven they already believe are connected. An 8th kitten was recently found beheaded, but it is still unclear if its death was linked to the other seven.

Woodworth says despite the news reports and the headlines she never thought it would happen to her. She now has a message for her neighbors.

“Keep your cat close by, love your cat, love your cat because this might be the last day you see your cat,” she said.

A reward of $21,000 is being offered in the original case, up another $1,000 from Tuesday.

If you have any tips, you can call Thurston County Animal Services at (360) 352-2510. You can donate to Pasado’s reward fund here.