Marysville woman charged with stabbing 3 cats, killing 1

Published 1:30 am Sunday, January 5, 2020

MARYSVILLE — A Marysville woman pleaded not guilty Friday to stabbing one cat to death and nearly killing two others in a sudden fit of rage.

Police were alerted Nov. 11, that a 20-year-old pale tan cat named George and two younger cats had been rushed to a veterinarian clinic in Everett with knife wounds.

Someone had stabbed George with such intensity that the blade went through his body and left an exit wound.

Tac, 10, a shy Persian cat, had a severe cut to his abdomen. Over the following days, he suffered heart failure but was revived with CPR. Almond, 8, a gray-and-white tabby, had a deep wound to her shoulder, as well as difficulty breathing, according to charging papers.

All three pets belonged to a Marysville family. The mother reported to police that her daughter, then 20, “might know what happened,” according to the charges.

In a nine-page single-spaced report, Marysville police documented more than a week of investigation.

Eventually, detectives sat down with the woman at the Marysville Police Department on Nov. 19. She listed off the cats by name, with descriptions of their fur color, age and health.

She reported she’d been depressed, had struggled to get motivated or find a job, and felt stuck in her parents’ home. The cats bothered her a little, she said. One night she went to get water to clear her head. She said “someone overtook her so she grabbed a knife … from the knife set holding block,” according to the charges. The weapon was 11½ inches long.

She saw George lying there, and she “just went for it and stabbed him” until he stopped moving, police wrote. Then she reportedly stabbed Almond, and then stabbed Tac. Police noted the woman had scratches and punctures to her hands. She told the police she’d been clawed and bitten in the attack.

The woman believed all three pets died, she told police. She took out her anger on them because they were “helpless and couldn’t really do much in return,” she told police. Afterward, she hid the knife under her bed.

“She said what she did was very wrong and made her sick,” police wrote.

Snohomish County prosecutors charged the defendant with three felony counts of first-degree animal cruelty.

The Marysville woman was not required to post bail Friday at her arraignment. Superior Court Judge Jennifer Langbehn barred her from possessing a gun or any dangerous weapon, while the case is pending. Her next hearing is in February.

An animal doctor told police that, considering the severity of the injuries, it was “somewhat miraculous” that two of the cats survived. The animals were surrendered to police and taken to a sanctuary, with the hope that they would recover and be rehomed.

Caleb Hutton: 425-339-3454; chutton@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @snocaleb.