Draft of Project #1

Everything You Need to Know about the Case of Kristen Lindsey: The Veterinarian Who Shot a Cat With a Bow and Arrow

On Wednesday April 15, 2015 in Brenham, TX a young veterinarian, Kristen Lindsey, shot and killed a cat with a bow and arrow.

Who Is Kristen Lindsey?

Kristen, daughter of Becky and Jack Lindsey, grew up in Greybull, Wyoming and attended Colorado State University, where she received her doctorate in veterinary medicine. After earning her doctorate she moved to Brenham, Texas in 2012 and began working as a veterinarian at the Washington Animal Clinic.

The Basics

Kristen Lindsey, 31, posted a photograph of herself on Facebook holding an arrow with an impaled cat on the end. She exhibited a sense of pride in her description of the picture, saying that, “…The only good feral tomcat is one with an arrow through its head! Vet of the year award…gladly accepted.” Kristen’s parents do not live in Brenham with her, and were visiting her from Big Horn, WY.  It is not known how long after this post they stayed in town, but Kristen was fired from her job at Washington Animal Clinic shortly after the post went viral.

Take It To Court

The Austin County Police and District Attorney opened investigations in April of 2015, but failed to indict Lindsey because there was insufficient proof that she committed a crime. While it is illegal to kill feral cats in the state of Texas, District Attorney Travis Koehn stated in a press release that Lindsey might have acted to protect her pets from a potentially rabid stray cat. According to Texas law, this is a reasonable defense to an animal cruelty charge. Many members of the Brenham community claim that the cat in the photograph was Tiger, beloved pet of Amy Hemsell, who went missing on April 15, 2015. A YouTube video on Amy’s channel of Tiger can be found here. No positive identification could be made based on the photograph. This means that there is no reason to believe that the claim of protecting animals from a rabid cat is false.

The Lindsey Family

Becky and Jack Lindsey have been valued members of the Big Horn community for the majority of their lives. She served as Deputy County Treasurer 14 years, and while Jack’s employment is not made public, members of the Big Horn community had positive things to say about him. Barbara Anne Greene, founder of Felines and Friends of Wyoming, stated, “Jack Lindsey has brought many a stray kitten into Felines and Friends. They love their animals. That is what makes it harder to believe. A bad decision can change a lot of lives in just an instant.”

Animal Rights Supporters and Activists: Justice For Tiger

While the death of this animal is clearly a horrible occurrence, it brought together a new community of animal lovers who call themselves “Justice For Tiger”. The death of this cat, though the outcome was not ideal, helped gain attention for animal cruelty cases in general. This organization has grown to include members from all over the country, all seeking to help animals in need.