SIOUX CITY, IA -
A cat, hit in the head with a golf club.
It's a strange story, but the cat's owner says her neighbor threatened several times he would hit the cat.
And last night, she says, he finally went through with it.
The incident happened at the 2700 block of S. Helen Street. A 10-year-old girl witnessed the entire thing. She says the cat was rubbing up against her neighbor's leg, that's when he grabbed a golf club and hit the cat over the head.
She ran home, shaken up by what she had just seen, and told her mom. Then she told the cat's owner.
"There was like a chunk out of his head about the size of a quarter, or a little bigger... and it was pretty deep," the owner of the cat, Courtney Manker, said.
That's when Courtney called the police.
When asked if she had approached the neighbor afterwards she said, "No, we let the cops take care of it. We've heard of stuff that he's done, but I'm not sure he was threatening me before."
The neighbor didn't want to talk on camera, but said he told Courtney he'd hit the cat over the head if it ever touched him. He says it was just words, but he wouldn't actually do it.
He described the cat as vicious.
"The cat is a lovely cat, it's a Siamese cat, his injuries are minor, he will recover, and he's very forgiving, he has forgiven the whole incident," said Cindy Rarrat of the Sioux City Animal Adoption and Rescue Center.
Police are still investigating, and no charges have been filed yet. Courtney says she had to give the cat up, because she couldn't afford his medical bills. She's also afraid to bring it home, fearing it could happen again.
"There's no reason that an animal has to be persecuted because it comes up to you and wants attention," she said.
Cindy says the cat will be put up for adoption once the investigation has been cleared.
Animal Rescue and the Sioux City Police are asking any other witnesses to call the Rescue Center at 712-279-6968. Courtney says neighbors are working to get the man evicted after this incident.
