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Article Archive > Beware of strangers Beware of strangers The horrifying animal abuse case in Aberdeen in which a man admitted killing at least 14 cats and kittens should make pet owners properly skittish about giving their pets up for adoption to strangers. Anthony Appolonia, 48, was charged last week with animal cruelty. He convinced at least 22 cat owners he would provide a safe environment for their pets after responding to their "free to good home" advertisements. Once he adopted the cats, he proceeded to beat and break the bones of some of them, letting them suffer for up to a day before drowning them. He said eight other cats traced to him ran away. Investigators aren't so sure. They believe he may have killed them - and many other cats as well. "This isn't something he just woke up and started doing the other day," said Victor "Buddy" Amato, chief of police for the Monmouth County SPCA. Appolonia's arrest, and the June arrest of a Jackson man accused in the beating death of a dog adopted from another home, should be a wakeup call to anyone considering putting a pet up for adoption. If you don't have the time or inclination to fully investigate the background of the person or persons seeking to adopt, turn the pet over to a local animal shelter. One Lakewood woman said she spent two hours with Appolonia earlier this month before allowing him to take a kitten Appolonia now says ran away. She wasn't upset about the $400 she had spent on veterinary care prior to handing over the kitten. "It's the emotional investment. It's horrible," she said. Animal shelters have staff trained to evaluate potential owners, and the adoption fees they charge discourage people who would sell a "free" animal to a third party such as a testing lab. For people who can no longer care for a family pet, or whose pet has a litter, those shelters can best ensure a safe future for the animal. Given the sickening details of the Appolonia investigation, the need for such a safe shelter is clear.
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