WARNING: This article contains graphic details
SHORELINE, Wash. -- Police are investigating after a cat named 'Quixote' was stolen from a cat rescue in Shoreline, Washington and then found dead in a nearby dumpster with his head crushed.
Around 12 p.m. Tuesday, a volunteer with the Whisker City Cat Rescue called police when she noticed an outside cat shelter had been broken into and the cat which had been housed inside was missing, according to KCPQ.
Shoreline Police responded and found a blood-stained, blue blanket and a yellow poncho with green writing on it that said: “The homeless need a home … just not my backyard, not Richmond Beach.”
"My guess is (Quixote) put up a struggle," Whisker City founder April Brown wrote on Facebook.
Just before 5 p.m., the employee called police again and said she found the missing cat dead in the facility's dumpster. The cat’s head had been caved in and Brown wrote on Facebook that "every bone in his body appears to be broken."
King County Animal Control was advised and Shoreline police returned to the scene. The cat’s body was eventually given to the owner who said she would take it to her vet for an examination.
While the case is similar to one in which the owner of a toy poodle named Mickey on found him partially skinned in his backyard Aug. 25, the King County Sheriff’s Office, Shoreline Police and Edmonds Police say there is no evidence linking the cases at this time. Washington's Most Wanted host David Rose offered a $1,000 reward for tips to catch Mickey's killer and thanks to donations from the family, friends, the public and Pasado's Safe Haven, that reward is now $7,700.
Rose said he will do the same for 'Quixote' and is offering $1,000 to anyone who can help detectives identify the suspect the person who killed him. Anyone with information is asked to call the King County Sheriff’s Office at (206) 296-3311.
