3 charged after cat allegedly abused and drugged with MDMA, with videos sent to family
Mom claims footage of torture was sent to her daughter on Snapchat
WARNING: This story contains details some readers may find disturbing.
A man and two teenagers have been charged after a family's pet cat was allegedly tortured in B.C. earlier this week, with videos of the abuse reportedly sent to the owners as it was happening.
Sharline Haglund said her calico, Gigi, somehow slipped out of her home in Duncan on Monday.
Around 3 a.m. PT, Haglund said her daughter started receiving disturbing Snapchat videos of the cat being tormented.
Clips allegedly showed the one-year-old animal being shaved, forced to swallow MDMA, thrown from a window and left to fend for herself outside in the cold.
The next morning, Haglund filed a report with RCMP and set out to search for the cat.
She said a stranger who'd seen a Facebook post about the missing pet eventually found Gigi and returned her to her owners.
On Thursday, RCMP said three people had been charged with causing unnecessary pain and suffering to an animal in connection with the incident: a 20-year-old man, 17-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl.
A statement also said the SPCA had been informed of the case.
Haglund said she sees the incident as animal cruelty and bullying rolled into one.
"To be taunting somebody when you have their animal and taunting them about what you're doing to them and thinking it's funny ... it's like cyberbullying too," she told CHEK News.
Gigi was taken to the vet to recover from the lingering effects of the drugs, but should otherwise make a full recovery.
RCMP said all three suspects have been released under several conditions, including no contact with the victim or each other, as well as not having any pets or animals in their possession.
With files from CHEK News