Petition: Eight Cats Died in an Archbold Ditch. Then Someone Put Out More Poison.

The volunteer noticed they had not come for food. That is how it started in Archbold, Ohio, in June 2026: a cared-for colony of cats near the Archbold Medical Group on Westfield Drive missed their usual feeding time, and a Fulton County Humane Society volunteer went looking. She found them dead, facedown in a ditch. Two adults and four kittens. One more was still alive, staggering and seizing, and died shortly afterwards. Near the creek was a lime-green semi-solid substance with a chemical smell. Please sign the petition demanding a full investigation.

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The number did not stop at eight. Humane Society executive director Stephanie Moore reported one more adult and two more kittens found dead after the initial count, and local reporting put the toll at eleven to twelve. Worse, after rain washed the first traces away, more of the substance appeared around the creek, which Moore took as evidence that someone had put out a fresh batch. Whoever is doing this came back. Antifreeze is the suspected agent because it tastes sweet, which is precisely why cats drink it, and death from it is neither quick nor merciful. The Humane Society described up to 72 hours of suffering, and one kitten died after ten back-to-back seizures while another had to be euthanised to end the same thing.

Two details make this worth more than local news. The first is that this was not a neglected feral population. Moore was explicit: the colony was cared for and fed, the cats were not sickly, and people in the area had been looking after them. Someone targeted animals that a community had taken responsibility for. The second is what the law actually allows. Poisoning stray cats is illegal in Ohio, and Goddard’s Law raises the penalties for cruelty against companion animals, so this is a criminal matter rather than a nuisance complaint. Archbold police attended, spoke to nearby businesses and residents, and have no suspect leads, which is why the petition asks for the investigation to continue rather than quietly lapse. Moore addressed the obvious objection herself, saying she understands people asking how crimes against cats can be a priority, and answering that the law is the law. Anyone with information or camera footage can contact Archbold Police on 419-445-9991 or the Fulton County Humane Society on 419-349-3841. One Green Planet has covered how to report suspected animal cruelty, and the case is reported by the Crescent-News.

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