A woman brought a kitten dyed hot pink and soaked in chemicals to a veterinary hospital in the Portland, Oregon, area. The chemical caused the kitten’s body temperature to drop and become hypothermic. Fortunately, he survived the cruel ordeal and eventually went to the Oregon Humane Society.
This male kitten wasn’t dyed for a “gender reveal,” as social media comments speculated. However, KOIN 6 reported that Elizabeth Zurcher-Wood, 39, used household chemicals to ‘clean’ the kitten. She was apparently unaware they were toxic, but it nearly killed him instead. Miraculously, it didn’t.
“According to police, she claimed she tried to clean that cat with a mixture of rubbing alcohol, Windex, and other household cleaners,” reported KOIN 6.
Images via Facebook/Oregon Humane Society
Yahoo reported she also used Spic and Span, but it’s unclear why she also dyed the kitten bright pink. In a court appearance, her hair was dyed pink, so perhaps she just likes the color.
According to court documents, Zurcher-Wood tried to clean him after diarrhea and still had the bottle of Windex with her at the vet.
Police Arrived After Zurcher-Wood Was Evicted
Zurcher-Wood brought the kitten to the veterinary hospital on December 12. Two days later, Humane Special Agent Allori spoke with her by phone, and she admitted to using the chemicals to clean her cat.
A few days later, police arrived at the Deluxe Inn Motel, where she was being evicted from her home. At that time, they saw the kitten with burn marks on his head. Both the kitten and a black chihuahua were found in a baby stroller. It’s not clear if she had used the chemicals on the little dog as well.
They took the woman into custody and she surrendered the pets to Animal Services. Thankfully, the kitten went to the Oregon Humane Society. Recently, they updated that he’s doing well in foster care.
“Last month, OHS assisted with the rescue of a kitten who had been dyed pink and later had toxic chemicals applied to him. OHS’ Humane Law Enforcement team transported the kitten to our shelter and placed him into protective foster care while his case moves through the legal process, allowing the kitten time to recover,” shared OHS.
An update posted to TikTok by Bonnie Silkman, an anchor and reporter in Portland, shows more details.
@bsilkysmooth Pink Kitty update! 💕 #portland #news #kitten #carsoftiktok #pdx #animals #kitty @KPTV FOX 12 Oregon
Animal Abuse in the Second Degree
On January 2, a judge found Zurcher-Wood appeared in court on a misdemeanor charge of animal abuse in the second degree. She pled not guilty but was found guilty of one charge. While waiting, she served six days in police custody due to a prior probation violation from 2021.
Now, she’ll be on supervised probation for two years. Additionally, she’s banned from “possessing or owning domestic animals for the next five years.”
Yes, this does make us quite uneasy about what happens after the five years. (You’ll see more of why we’re very concerned next.) KION 6 notes that she may appear in court again in late January for the animal abuse case.
A ‘Middling Property Crime?’
According to KION 6, her attorney tried to dismiss the case due to a shortage of public defenders. But he is also seen saying he thought it was a “middling property crime” without “sentient victims.”
“The alleged victim in this case is a feline. So…this is a very middling property crime, not a person crime, no real sentient victims,” said the attorney.
Elizabeth Zurcher-Wood appears in court on animal abuse charges via KOIN 6.
After that one, you can probably guess what we think of that. Cats are, of course, aware and deserve to be treated as more than ‘middling property.’ It’s offensive to hear that kind of statement from anyone.
Video about the pink kitten via KOIN 6:
Attempted Kidnapping While Waving a Machete. Yes, Really.
Unfortunately, the story gets quite a lot weirder and not in the charming Portland way.
Zurcher-Wood has a history of mental health struggles. According to KOIN 6 News, she had a 2021 arrest and charges for bias crimes for an attempted kidnapping of a 6-year-old child while wielding a machete in Portland’s Old Town. Yahoo reported that officials said she threatened the boy’s family with the machete while using racial slurs.
Screenshots via TikTok/ Bonnie Silkman
A friend of Elizabeth Zurcher-Wood reportedly said the behavior in 2021 was related to “untreated mental illness.” According to a witness, the machete-wielding woman claimed the boy was actually hers.
We hope this woman gets the help she needs and won’t be able to harm people, animals, or ‘middling property’ again. And it would help if people changed their view of cats and animals in general: they obviously deserve to be treated as living beings with concern and accountability for their well-being!
Video about that incident by KOIN 6:
