Politics | 02/16/2009 8:30 am

Dusty the Cat Saved, Thanks to Internet Vigilantism (Video)

By The Staff at wowOwow.com

"Timmy" abusing Dusty the cat

Ordinary people who watched a gruesome YouTube clip of a teenager beating his cat Dusty were able to do their own police work. Talk about a new wave of vigilantism.

The YouTube video appeared on the Internet Saturday and sparked a nationwide investigation by YouTube users to identify the culprits. The video depicted a masked child who called himself "Timmy" lifting Dusty by his neck, slamming the cat against the wall and slapping him in the face. Some Internet-savvy users immediately turned to other networking sites to piece together the puzzle, using such sites as FaceBook and MySpace to link the abuser’s face to photographs on his profile. A bedroom was also spotted for a fleeting moment in the background, and through the use of networking sites, users were reportedly able to find links between that bedroom and the bedroom in one of the suspect’s photos posted on the web.

A 14-year-old Oklahoma teenager reportedly posted the video, named "PattyCatPattyCat," and 30,000 people watched it. Immediate "response" videos of people expressing their disgust were uploaded on YouTube. Police and animal rights organizations were also called.

This weekend, investigators detained the teen who recorded the video and another person seen in the footage. Both boys have been released to their parents and will meet with investigators on Tuesday to determine the next step. Dusty the cat is alive and is staying at a veterinary hospital until the investigation is complete. Let’s hope Dusty isn’t returned to his owners.

Below is a YouTube clip from a local news station. Please note: The tape includes gruesome and violent footage.

20 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

I’m appalled at what that boy did…and as a cat lover, I just gave mine a huge cuddle, after reading this. But I am equally afraid of the significance of the inet search for the boy—-and matching him up to the event…….I watched a commerical last night, for a home protection service, where there are cameras IN the house, so that the company can see if there is an intruder—-remotely——and anything else they choose to watch going on in the house, if they wanty to—-Orwells’ 1984 is here!

By Patty E on 02/16/2009 8:55 am

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Yep. There’s a definite downside to all this connectivity. But in this case, I’m glad it worked out. Probably saved lives…well, at least the potential is there. Kids that abuse animals grow up to abuse people.

By Ms. Dee on 02/16/2009 1:30 pm

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wOw great detective work! I hope these two young men get that education that’s been long overdue regarding abuse of others and why its not funny.

By Tee Zee on 02/16/2009 8:55 am

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I think it is wonderful that they found and saved this poor cat, why didn’t anyone do that for the person who was committing suicide?

By Sandbee (FB) 54 on 02/16/2009 9:03 am

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@Sandbee: It does happen, more often than you think. It’s sometimes difficult for people to know when others are just joking around or being stupid when they threaten to kill themselves on online communities - after all, many of these communities are based around people being outrageous and taking on fictional characters or scenarios. In my time on the internet (over fifteen years now) I’ve seen several threatened suicide scenarios. Usually, when it becomes clear or seems very likely that the person is really serious and isn’t just being an internet tough guy, then a very similar effort occurs; finding IPs, geolocating the individual, seeing what other information can be found about them to find their name, address and so on, and looking up and contacting the local police… you just don’t hear about it when it works - but it can’t always work. Sometimes nobody sees or recognises the warning signs in time. Sometimes there’s no evidence to go on. And sometimes on some sites there’s no user info and nothing to go on, and people in real distress are drowned out by the noise of another ten thousand people posting their own fantasies. That doesn’t necessarily make those sites bad - but just as you wouldn’t go down to your local walmart to get psychological counselling, you probably shouldn’t be looking for it on the wrong part of the Internet either.

By hannah johannsen on 02/16/2009 9:59 am

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I’m glad to hear that it does happen, my remark was mainly about a time that had been mentioned on this site sometime back about people watching a young man. It seems too much time on the internet for some of these young people, wanting to come up with things like torturing animals or harming themselves, is a need for some sort of attention, but as children have done for ages - they go about it the wrong way.

By Sandbee (FB) 54 on 02/16/2009 12:26 pm

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Well, when you look at the kid’s room, and some of the items on his walls, it appears he is a rebel child. I would be very curious to hear what his parents have to say about this. Do they dismiss it as typical youth escapades? Do they recognize the direct link (according to scientists and mental health professionals) between animal abuse and future deviant behavior? A big KUDOS to everyone that played a part in picking the video apart frame by frame and doing their home work. Just another example of why I say the internet is no longer as anonymous as people think it is. Whatever you say and do in the dark, will ALWAYS be brought to light!

By Belinda Joy on 02/16/2009 9:28 am

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It sure would be nice to see both boys beaten to a bloody pulp and put on you-tube!

By HA BIBI on 02/16/2009 10:40 am

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Boy, we are on the same page here, Elaine !! Seeing that cat cowering in the corner as the boy entered the bathroom suggests it was a regular behavior.

By EKA - on 02/16/2009 2:00 pm

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Well EKA- You were braver than I to have watched the video. I can’t watch anything that would involve the hurting and torture of an animal. My blood boils to the point of if given the opportunity, I’d enjoy the roughing up of those punks myself. Trust me if they lived, they’d never forget who I was, LOL.

By HA BIBI on 02/16/2009 3:33 pm

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Smart girl …. I wish I didn’t see it ! Can’t get it out of my mind. But I have been thinking about it, and the sight of the poor defenseless cat cowering at the sight of the torturer made me think of a child cowering from a bully parent. WHY would a young man do this ? Is he doing to an animal what has been done to him, and he is taking it out on the only thing HE has power over. Is there a correlation here ? What makes someone so un- feeling ? And yet, my reaction is to want to slap this punk and make HIM cower, but I’m guessing someone got there first.

By EKA - on 02/16/2009 9:22 pm

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EKA, Exactly! That is the very reason I could not watch the video, because my anger would have just been astronomical and I didn’t want to have the vision of that in my mind. It’s bad enough to imagine. I’m completely against abortion, but in a case like this I’m all for full term abortion, meaning when you are like this at any age and hurt an innocent animal, I want them dead, LOL. I know that sounds terrible but when you love these God given little creatures who can’t escape and are dependant on their owners for their very existance, I have no mercy for the boy’s or anyone else who would do such a horrible thing. Who knows what kind of home life these idiots have but personally, I could care less for them because the last one to blame is the animal who had nothing to do with what happened to it. You’re being far to nice, I still want them dead, LOL.

By HA BIBI on 02/16/2009 10:31 pm

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My sentiments exactly, Elaine.

By Andrea Brandon on 02/16/2009 11:22 am

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http://images.encyclopediadramatica.com/images/c/c8/KennyProof.jpg

By Stephen Hager on 02/16/2009 12:38 pm

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I didn’t watch the video…don’t want to see it…and am VERY glad the teens were caught. Hope the poor cat isn’t returned and that the police understand that abusing defenseless animals is a marker of a sociopaht. Throw the book at them!

By Wow Trop de classe on 02/16/2009 1:47 pm