Dozens gathered around the entrance to a closed downtown business as good Samaritans smashed a window to come to the aid of a cat trapped not only inside the store but also in a can.
“Today the second cat came out which I thought was dead and it had a can on its head. To me, that’s an emergency situation. People were calling the Humane Society, they said they can’t do anything. People were calling the police, they said they can’t do anything,” said Nicole Peltier on Main Street East shortly after the window was broken at the Leather Trend.
Onlookers had been feeding an orange and white cat for a few days at the Leather Trend on Main Street East, by jacking up the front door and sliding food underneath. They did not attempt to breach the entranceway until the second cat emerged from the shadows, seemingly in distress, with the can on its head.
Witnesses say that a window pane near the front door was smashed so that a concerned citizen could reach in and free the cat from the can. Several witnesses also said that the North Bay Humane Society did attend the scene and left a notice on the business’ door. North Bay Police Service arrived shortly after the window was smashed.
A person with knowledge of the situation said that the owner of the Leather Trend is incarcerated and that the person charged with looking after the animals had lost the keys to the shop.
Peltier, who first noticed one of the cats Sunday, said she called the Humane Society Monday, to no avail. The cat she had observed was still in the window Tuesday, but she saw no sign of the second cat.
“When the cat came out with the can on its head, the crowd took it upon themselves to smash out the bottom window and remove [the can],” added Peltier.
