A heartbreaking letter to the Herald Journal posted October 8th is causing a stir among pet lovers.
Rayden Sazama and his beloved cat Toothless. (Photo Credit: Tiandra Sazama)The beloved Logan family cat was named after the disabled dragon from the movie How to Train Your Dragon, as he resembled the animated creature’s black coat and green eyes.
An indoor-outdoor cat, Toothless left the home one night and didn’t return. Queries to the neighbors about the animal’s whereabouts came back negative: No one had seen the beloved cat…or so they claimed.
Rayden’s father, Jason, then went to the local animal control office one evening, but after business hours. A clerk let Jason in the building, and there, in a cage behind the counter, was Toothless.
Yet, as it was past business hours, Jason was unable to pay the fine and take the cat home. He promised to return the following morning to settle up and collect the cat. The family was relieved and slept well knowing Toothless was safe.
When he returned the next day, Jason discovered Toothless had been euthanized. The person he spoke to at animal control forgot to leave a note on the cat’s cage to spare his execution.
“They killed him and I don’t know why,” Rayden wrote.
Rayden’s story was confirmed by Brenda Smith, the director of the Cache Humane Society. In response, Smith claimed the worker who spoke with Jason was busy training another person and forgot to leave a note on the cage.
“I’ve just been sick about it, and so has she,” Smith told hjnews.com.
Compounding the tragedy, the cat was trapped by a neighbor and given to police. According to Rayden’s letter, “When Devin [Rayden’s brother] and I knocked on [the neighbor’s] door and asked if they had seen Toothless they told us no, and that was a lie.
“I didn’t think big people lied because they are grown-ups and know what is right.”
The full text of Rayden Sazama’s letter and multiple comments are online at hjnews.com.
