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Two more cats found dead
By TIM GRANT, Times Staff Writer CARROLLWOOD -- Animal Services mailed a bulletin warning residents that their cats might be in danger. Sheriff's deputies have pledged to beef up their patrols. But still, cats are continuing to die in Original Carrollwood. At least two more cats are believed to have been killed on Aug. 18. One was found dead in its owner's front yard that morning. The other died at a veterinarian clinic after its owner found the animal, badly wounded, in her front yard. Both cat owners lived across the street from each other on Picwood Road. "My cat was healthy," Suzan Giunta said. "There was nothing wrong with her. She wasn't on any medicines." The cat, Mimi, died on the operating table at Tampa Bay Veterinary Emergency Service on Florida Avenue. Veterinary records show she suffered a broken rib and a puncture wound to the back and was injected with some unknown liquid. Janice Krueger's Siamese cat, Isis, was found dead at the curb in front of her home. Krueger said a sheriff's deputy who investigated the case told her that he suspects her pet was poisoned. "She stayed in the house most of the time, but she could go in and out whenever she wanted to," said Krueger, who owned the cat for 15 years. Neighbors say a growing number of pet cats have been found dead in this neighborhood since July. Although Hillsborough sheriff's deputies and Animal Services officers say they don't have enough evidence to know what's going on, homeowners suspect their community might be the target of a serial cat killer. "We've been advising people to be careful with their cats and keep them inside so they can watch them," said Eric Hyde, the neighborhood's crime watch captain. Hyde said the latest incidents bring the number of estimated cat deaths to 20. Hyde said he has heard gruesome accounts of cats that were mutilated, shot, stabbed and poisoned. The problem is that owners have buried their pets after finding them dead. With no evidence of a crime, deputies are unable to investigate, said Deputy Ann Vaccaro, the community's resource officer. Vaccaro, who is based in the Fountain Oaks Community station at N Dale Mabry Highway and Waters Avenue, said she is organizing a meeting with all the owners of the cats that were killed. "I'm trying to start an investigation, but I definitely need the owners to contact me," Vaccaro said. "Only one victim has come to me so far. All I have is hearsay and horrifying stories." Animal Service officers mailed a bulletin Aug. 14 that told residents how to report animal abuse. The letter tells residents to call the Sheriff's Office or Animal Services immediately, and not to move the animal or disturb anything around it. "At this point it appears these acts of cruelty are being directed toward cats in your immediate neighborhood ...," said the letter written by Lois Wimsett, who supervises animal abuse investigations. "Why should you care? Simply because it is the right thing to do, and because people who harm animals may also harm people ...," the letter said. As residents wait for answers, some can't help but feel uneasy about what is happening in their quiet community. "I've lived in Carrollwood all my life and nothing like this has ever happened before," Giunta said. "It's disturbing." -- Tim Grant can be reached at 269-5311 or at grant@sptimes.com.
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