MADAWASKA, Maine — Two men from Madawaska accused of placing an 8-month-old kitten into a pet carrier and then discarding it in a garbage dumpster outside a local business were summoned on a charge of animal cruelty on Friday.
Lt. Ross Dubois of the Madawaska Police Department said Monday that the incident happened on March 11.
According to Dubois, Raymond Gossett, 58, and Nicholas Gossett, 31, were allegedly attempting to give away their unwanted kitten on the afternoon of Thursday, March 10.
When they were unsuccessful, they placed the kitten inside of a pet carrier and then put the carrier inside of a garbage dumpster.
“Luckily, a local merchant heard the kitten and removed it before the sanitation company emptied the dumpster,” he said Monday.
An employee at the store has since adopted the kitten.
Dubois said that the Gossetts have been summoned on a misdemeanor charge of cruelty to animals, which is punishable by up to 364 days in jail and a $2,000 fine.
“The cat was cold, but it was otherwise OK,” said the lieutenant.
The Gossetts have denied the charges, Dubois said Monday.
They are scheduled for a May 4 court appearance to answer to the charges.