Spat over injured kitten appears to be settled
Crowdfunding for cat thrown on highway became an issue
A cat kerfuffle has ended — for now.
On Thursday, Mandi Howard, the woman who rescued a battered kitten that had been thrown from a moving vehicle on Highway 427, contacted the Star to say that she was a person of interest in a Toronto Police fraud investigation instigated by the Toronto Humane Society. However, after a day of protests and cat confusion, Howard says that the Toronto Police have now contacted her to say that the matter has been dropped.
“I’m worried about what this has done for my reputation,” Howard, an emergency room nurse and animal rights activist, told the Star.
“Your next story should be about (Pedro) coming home.”
After scooping the bloodied kitten off the highway a month ago, Howard took him to the Toronto Humane Society’s River St. facility, where veterinarians treated him for scrapes, a split lip and numerous broken bones. Pedro, as he was quickly dubbed, is now with a foster family and getting medical attention from the Humane Society.
He’ll be up for adoption once healed, Humane Society spokesperson Maykyla Deleo said, adding that she anticipates that happening in about two weeks. Deleo said that Howard is first in line to adopt the kitten. “Our issues are solely with the Indiegogo crowd-funding campaign and not with Mandi Howard and her ability to adopt Pedro,” Deleo said.
On Dec. 6, Radhika Subramanyan, a friend of Howard’s, set up an Indiegogo campaign to help pay for the vet bills. Howard posted on Facebook that “(t)he money will be used for ongoing care for him and what is not used in medical bills will be given to (the Toronto Humane Society) as a token of love and appreciation our boy is pushing thru!!!” The campaign’s goal was $2,000, but it fetched $9,595 by the time it ended on Monday. More than 300 people contributed. The campaign was set up in Subramanyan’s name, using her bank account and because the campaign ended so recently, she says she has yet to receive the funds. On Thursday, Howard told the Star that they always planned on donating to the Humane Society, but she was waiting for them to contact her.
Deleo, however, said Friday that the Toronto Humane Society would not be accepting any money from the campaign. “The people who donated were not given all the information that they should have been.”
According to Deleo, an email Subramanyan sent to the society executive director “indicated to us that the funds were not intended to come to the Toronto Humane Society.” The society then contacted police.
On Friday, Subramanyan forwarded what she claims is the email in question. In it, she states that she would like to provide the society with a donation once Howard’s adoption of Pedro has been finalized.
That a donation appeared to be contingent on Howard receiving the cat was cause for concern, Deleo says, adding that although no charges have been laid, the Toronto Police investigation has not been closed.
Toronto Police did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Contrary to the society’s stated refusal to accept it, Subramanyan says that a donation of $1,000 was made to the Toronto Humane Society on Friday night to cover the costs of Pedro’s care.
“The money isn’t going to any of us personally. The money is going back to help Pedro, the Toronto Humane Society and other cat rescues.”
She added that she will provide refunds to donors if desired.
A second crowd-funding campaign was also launched by Kent Fenwick, a friend of a friend of Howard’s, after he heard about the incident.
“Just read this amazing story about how Mandi Howard rescued a cat on 427 highway and needs a name / medical care,” Fenwick posted on the campaign’s wall. “She deserves some money so let’s all pitch in!”
Fenwick managed to raise $1,401 with the help of 46 backers. All of that money was transferred to Howard after the campaign ended on Dec. 19.
Howard confirms she received those funds. She says she plans to use the money for Pedro’s future care.
“The Indiegogo campaign was created to help cover the kitten’s veterinary cost,” Camille Labchuk, an animal rights and criminal defence lawyer who represents both Howard and Subramanyan said on Friday.
“The crowdfunding campaign took off like wildfire and raised much more money than expected,” said Labchuk, adding, “after the funds go through, the Toronto Humane Society is welcome to a generous donation, which is what they were told from the beginning. They are welcome to send along a veterinary care bill. Any remaining funds will be donated to animal charities.”