possible animal abuse?

You absolutely did the right thing! There's no harm in having the ASPCA investigate possible cruelty. Hopefully it will turn out to be nothing - but if not, that creature needs help!! The number to the ASPCA is 212-876-7700 to follow up and make sure they have your report (which you might want to do). It's not a city agency so you can call yourself for the info.

You're absolutely right whatchuwant - 911 should have been called at that moment (it's a little early for me to post). I've also gotten responses from personally going into the local precinct. But, let's say he's not dead (hopefully) but he is being abused - it should still be checked out. I hope 'tired' follows up. . . .

I'm sitting here trying to figure this out, how to ask of you what I want with out it coming across in the wrong way.

In reading this I am getting the OP was walking by an Ice Box and heard a " cat screaching from inside" Then proceeded to call 311. Others have further suggested that 911 be called.

Could it have been the hinges "screeching", been a lot of rain and humidity... rust grows fast.

Could it have been a cat, whose screeched at that moment and the sound carried into the ice box cavity?

Could it have been a cat in the box?

Why did the OP simply not ask if there was a cat in the box, or simply open the box and look?

If the situations were not condusive to make sucha query, then perhaps an investigation into the box at a later time.

If you are sure you feel it was, send me the location to where the box is, and I will go look. Waiting on the aspca to look for a cat in the box, they don't want any live ones right now.
I saw an article on the news about them being over crowded with cats. I have noticed the feral cat population is rather large this year. There are close to a dozen that pass through my back yard. I have been getting friendly with them the last month so I can trap them and get them fixed.

If any of you cat lovers who are feeding ferals, it is your responsability to do the same, otherwise stop feeding them. They really dont need youfor food. We throw out enough to support their food chain. When we feed them, they get extra and breed more. Unfortunately all the kittens don't make it. I cleaned the yard up as I have gotten weary of picking up dead kittens. The two cats I have now were hand raised from birth as sole survivors of thier litter when the mothers died giving birth.

tired wrote: The box was opened while I walked by. There were multiple screeches and it sounded like a distressed cat, not rust, definitely within the ice box. I looked over but unfortunately could not see inside and at the time it was not a good time for a query. My first impression was very strong that a cat was inside but I was also a bit strung out at the time which led me to question my judgment, which may or may not have been a mistake. I posted here when I got to my place and decided just to call 311 soon after. I left the location out on here because I don't want to risk creating hysteria without 100% verification of what happened. I did what I did and in retrospect I should have reacted quicker and more immediately to the situation. I'll see if I can't get to the bottom of it now after the fact. Thank you every one for the advice. And for the record I do not feed the feral cats.

Are you going to tell us where this is? Please?

jf22561 wrote: mantic, please don't discourage anyone from calling the ASPCA to investigate cruelty - it is their job and they are the only ones who have jurisdiction in the 5 boroughs to do so. The police can and do respond if something is witnessed at that moment - but they do not investigate after the fact - the ASPCA does. Whether the cat is or is not adoptable is a separate issue - if it is being abused and is in danger, the ASPCA should be called and a report filed. BTW, you're right about feeding strays - it really shouldn't be done unless they're also being altered.

If someone throws a cat in the ice box outside their store, then goes in the next day to throw dead kitty away, by the time the ASPCA gets there (they get TOO many reports of abuse, sadly) what the hell are they going to investigate? Kitty will be long gone by then and there will be denials across the board. Waste of everyone's time and the ASPCA's already strained resources.

You're just giving horrible advice here.

jf22561 wrote: Whatchuwant, you don't know how long that animal was in that ice box - if, in fact, it was in there. You don't know that the cat is dead and you don't know if the cat is still being hurt. It's true, 911 should have been called immediately but, since that's not the case, is it better to just say the hell with it? No! A phonecall is not going to hurt anyone. The agents are adults and will handle it accordingly - and will decide whether they can or cannot investigate. You are the one giving horrible advice to discourage anyone from reporting cruelty. I have a dog that the ASPCA agents confiscated from a very abusive home a few years ago - had no one reported it, she would not be here with me now!! They also confiscated a cat a few weeks ago that was in a very dangerous situation that I reported. Should I have waited until she was dead? The owner refused to listen to reason and the cat was suffering. What's wrong with you? No, I'm not giving awful advice - you are!

If someone puts a cat in an ice box, they are trying to kill it. Period. Your advice is pointless in regards to OP situation. And calling the ASPCA with incredibly vague information as the OP stated is a waste of time. When you call them you have to have enough info for them to actually make a visit. OP doesn't have that. If the OP went back to the store, saw said cat (which he doesn't even know exists or not), assessed its condition as poor, then then calls can be made. Your going to waste the ASPCA's valuable time dealing with factual reports of abuse (such as the ones you dealt with) so they can go check to see if there's a cat in an ice box?

It's probably too late for ice box kitty and that saddens me, it does. I cry at the very thought of abuse. But you have to be pragmatic when it comes to utlilizing the resources of an already underfunded and strained branch of the city's resources. So, your suggestion of a phone call is totally pointless, except to make OP feel less guilty and to essentially pass the buck and absolve himself of the responsibility of taking the matter into his own hands to investigate himself.

I'm an animal lover too, jf- I've rescued many cats and dogs from the nabe and adopted 2 amazing furry beings from the kill shelter. Please, don't go there.

ParadeRest wrote: The ASPCA is not a branch of the city's resources.

http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer

Correct. I was thinking of the NYC animal cops. ASPCA=underfunded and strained as well.

jf22561 wrote: Anyway, how sad to be having this conversation due to some pathetic mutant hurting a cat!!

Agreed.

jf22561 wrote: BTW, the ASPCA is not a poor agency and gives mucho money to other groups. They are too often confused with NYCACC, our local "pound" which is very underfunded!

I didn't confuse them. I mixed up who the OP called.

Enough with the !!! already... :roll: