March 14th, 2023
Craven - at a Council meeting, an RCMP Lumsden detachment member informed Council that a month earlier, a cat had been shot in the leg, requiring extensive surgery. The member told them that it would probably be on crime stoppers.
Village administrator, Karen Herman, said the information they were provided was “very vague,” and not knowing more details was troublesome, as they were made aware of it a month after the occurrence. She said that because she understood the cat came from an acreage at the edge of the community, they had questions about whether it was injured in the Village limits or outside. “It is disconcerting and upsetting because obviously if firearms were discharged within the village, that would not be a good thing.”
This is the second time harm has come to a cat from the small community. In 2021 a resident filed a police report after their cat died, and the owner suspected it had been purposefully poisoned.
“Maybe if we could have been on it a little bit faster maybe we could have put something out asking, did anybody hear anything or see anything? But it was done so much after the fact.” Herman said Council decided to post what they learned on Facebook because they wanted the community to know before first finding out on Crimestoppers.
Cpl. Kelly Brennan with the RCMP told LMT that on February 23, 2023, the Lumsden RCMP received a report of a “cat that sustained a single 22 calibre gunshot wound. It happened two days prior, and the cat was taken to the local vet clinic here in Lumsden, where the bullet fragments were extracted. The front left leg was amputated.” Cpl. Brennan said it took time for forensics to determine it was a 22; they are investigating and noted there was a six-hour window when the cat was out of the owner’s residence, so they haven’t determined if it was shot in or out of the Village limits.
The Village hasn’t had any feedback from the public on this incident. Herman did say someone questioned their concern about the cat. “Council never wants to see animals hurt, thats not our goal..they are very concerned about that. They are also very concerned about the possibility of firearms being discharged in village limits. Because that’s a public safety issue.”
The RCMP said they continue to investigate, and anyone with information should contact them at 306-731-4270. Information can also be submitted anonymously by contacting Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or www.saskcrimestoppers.com.
