The Spath family of Fort Lauderdale, Florida received a measure of justice for their beloved cat Mama today when 82 year old Hume Hamilton was sentenced to three years behind bars, followed by two years probation.
The 12 year old cat had lived with her family since kittenhood, until Hamilton walked a pit bull up to their door and allowed the dog to snatch the cat into its jaws. Spath tried to separate the cat from the dog’s mouth, roughly standing on the cat’s belly in the process, but ultimately walked away with the dog, leaving the cat to die.
The incident was captured on CCTV video that was widely circulated after the attack, as the family tried to locate the responsible party. Hamilton was identified and arrested based on the video, and was found guilty on October 10.
The Spath family expressed satisfaction at the time of the guilty verdict. They and local feline advocacy organization Undercats4Lifeorganized a petition calling for the maximum sentence allowed under the law, which would have been five years of jail time. Our post of October 21,Justice for Mama Petition Needs Signatures, covered the case.
WSVN news was on hand today to report on sentencing and to hear from Wayne Spath.
“Now, we can move on,” said Wayne Spath, who was in court for today’s hearing. “We have closure now, justice has prevailed.”
“That was a pet, my daughter found that cat as a kitten, had it for 12 years. That cat was 12 years as part of our family,” said Spath.
Th judge told Hamilton that, after he is released from prison, he is not allowed to own a pet again.
I hope somebody beats him up in jail!!! he´s a damn coward!
POS needs to die in prison. No excuse for harming an innocent cat.
Just si gappy that they didnt care he was 82 years old he knows better. it was a vicious attack that didnt have to happen. the dog was on a leash on his own porch! bad man…
Kudos to the judge for treating this as the serious crime and wake-up call it is, but I still think a more fitting punishment would have been Hamilton being mauled by a gorilla.
I will print this story and post it in my neighborhood so the owners of dogs who allows them to run free can realize they ARE responsible for any damaged they do. To go walking with their beast without a leash now will also be dangerous for them.