Pets may have been abused

COEUR d'ALENE - When Christine Taysan's dog Intsy became sick and had a sore nose and mouth two weeks ago, malicious activity never crossed the pet owner's mind.

But this week, both of the Coeur d'Alene woman's cats had bleeding noses, mouths and ears, along with facial injuries, making her wonder if all of her pets were the target of animal cruelty.

"My female cat (Jewels) was so severe that the pad of her nose was actually coming off," Taysan said. "We took her to the vet, who is quite positive that they are chemical burns."

Taysan said she can't think of anything around her home that the pets would have gotten into, nor are the animals allowed into the garage. She hasn't found any chemicals on her property, but believes there's a possibility that the animals may have been sprayed.

In Intsy's case, the dog had only been in the fenced back yard for half an hour before he came inside and vomited.

Taysan said she's unaware of any neighbors around her 19th Street home who are disgruntled about her pets, but has heard some have concerns about stray cats in the neighborhood.

For now, Taysan is keeping her pets inside as a precaution and wants other pet owners to know about the possibility of animal cruelty.

Laurie Deus, Coeur d'Alene Police's animal control officer who took a report from Taysan, said the city hasn't seen a spike in possible animal cruelty cases in that neighborhood or citywide. Officials from the Post Falls and Rathdrum police departments and the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office said their agencies haven't had such reports recently either.

Deus said she agrees that there's a possibility that Taysan's animals may have been abused, but there's no proof, suspects or witnesses. Deus said it's difficult to prosecute such cases without video evidence.