Posted on: Friday, December 10, 2004

Cat death prompts warning about 'inhumane' snap traps

By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser Staff Writer

The Hawaiian Humane Society is warning about the dangers of snap traps after a pet cat was fatally injured in such a trap in a yard at the top of Wai'alae Nui.

Sue Kazimirski said a friend found her cat "Cuddles" still clamped in the steel trap in the yard of their family home and rushed the animal to the humane society, where he died the day before Thanksgiving. Kazimirski said she has no idea who tied the trap to a tree in her yard.

She said their family was shocked and horrified to find out how the cat was hurt. "It's very strange and scary," Kazimirski said. "My kids are 13 and 15 but what if they were 2 and 3?"

Humane society spokeswoman Jacque Smith described the steel-jaw leghold trap as "inhumane and completely legal."

Smith said such traps often are used to catch pigs. "The problem, however, is that they don't discriminate between a wild boar, a pet, or even a child," she said.