White Plains resident Romy Goldsmith Shapiro, 40, was arrested and charged with animal cruelty and abandonment of a cat following a joint investigation with the White Plains Police Department.
According to the SPCA, on June 12, Wednesday, June 12, maintenance workers assigned to the trash compactor room of a Bank Street building heard odd noises coming from inside a black plastic bag.
After cutting the bag open, the SPCA said that they found a black and white cat, alive, inside a pet carrier bag. The cat, Cotton, fell 20 stories down the trash chute, into the basement and directly into the trash compactor.
Cotton was transported to a local animal hospital for treatment. The White Plains Police Department and SPCA of Westchester Humane Law Enforcement Unit were notified, which determined that Shapiro had put her cat down the trash chute on the 19th floor. It’s estimated the cat was in the trash compactor room for 8 hours before she was discovered.
“It’s hard to imagine such a senseless act of cruelty,” SPCA Executive Director Shannon Laukhuf said. “Miraculously, Cotton survived without any serious injuries. We are so thankful workers found her in time.”
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