Woman accused of throwing caged cat into river to drown in argument with ex-boyfriend

Florida woman faces charge of animal cruelty for throwing caged cat in water

A woman in Florida was charged with animal cruelty for allegedly throwing a cat locked inside its crate into a river as she fought with her ex-boyfriend, law enforcement say.

Christa Thistle, 53, has been accused of tossing the caged animal into the water at the Riverwood Park Campground in Oak Hill after fighting with her former partner after he did not move out of their shared residence fast enough, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.

The cat, named Stanley, survived being underwater for more than 20 seconds, according to the police’s statement on Facebook. He was “still wet and shivering when deputies arrived” and his owner was found wet from the knees down, police added.

“She began moving his belongings out of the RV, knocked over some food that was being cooked, then picked up Stanley’s cat crate and threw him into the river,” the statement said about the incident on 19 August.

According to the statement, Ms Thistle denies the charge and she remained in police custody the following morning.

Stanley was taken into care of the county’s animal services “for follow-up evaluation and care”, according to law enforcement.

The Independent reached out for an update on the case.

Stanley was believed to be okay after being thrown into a nearby water in Florida. (Volusia County Sheriff’s Office)