Manchester, N.H. – In the beginning of July there was a controversy that escalated into threats of violence over the ownership and possible mistreatment of a cat and a metaphysical shop in the Granite State in the city of Manchester.
Members of the Pagan community were alarmed and TWH became aware of the situation after a customer of Myths and Maidens reached out to us and requested we investigate; hopefully, to provide some answers.
TWH spent weeks trying to get statements from the various parties involved but the only person who was willing to speak with us was the owner of Myths and Maidens, Debbie Valente.
Animal Control declined to comment due to the ongoing investigation.
Rose Garcia who allegedly is the owner of the cat did not respond to attempts to contact her.
Here is what we have been able to learn so far. The cat in question was named Sgt. Tibbs that spent much of his time outdoors according to statements that his alleged owner, Rose Garcia made in social media posts and in statements published by the Granite Post.
Garcia said in comments made to the Granite Post that she had shaved Sgt. Tibbs’ back to help stay cooler during the hot weather, and that he had recently been diagnosed with asthma.
It should be noted that veterinarians and groomers have said that shaving long-haired cats is generally not recommended, as it can interfere with their natural ability to stay cool. While some cat owners have a professional groomer trim the length of a cat’s fur to between ½” to 1” during summer months, no definitive data appears to show that it is beneficial in keeping them cooler.
According to Valente, her daughter found the cat on their property on June 7. The cat appeared to have had part of the fur on its back shaved, was extremely emaciated, and also appeared to be having labored breathing. They offered the cat some canned wet food, which it ate. Valente’s daughter and some of her daughter’s friends then decided to take the cat to the emergency vet since there was concern over its labored breathing.
Sgt. Tibbs the day he was found outside of Myths and Maidens – Image courtesy of D. Valente
The first emergency vet office they took the cat to had a multiple hours-long wait before the cat could be seen, so they opted to try the next closest one in Windham, Rockingham Emergency Veterinarian Hospital, about 20 minutes away. The cat received emergency care according to vet records posted online by Valente. The care given at that time consisted of an emergency exam, a Preventative Care Profile Plus (a diagnostic test used to check electrolyte and other bodily chemistry levels), subcutaneous fluids, as well as an injection for nausea, and a complete blood count test which is routinely done when a cat is presenting with any number of symptoms to identify or rule out possible causes of illness.
According to some of the veterinarian records made available online, the cat’s sex was listed as “MI” which stands for “male, intact” meaning the cat was unaltered and not neutered. The cat was also not chipped according to Valente, which is something that is generally checked for when a cat is identified as stray.
Valente told TWH that initially, the cat was very weak and even unable to climb up on a pillow placed on the floor, but after a week of regular meals of pureed chicken livers, was much improved. Meanwhile, Valente said she posted flyers in her shop, around the neighborhood, and online trying to find the cat’s owner.
Screenshot of Sgt. Tibbs found posting on Petco’s LoveLost database.
About three weeks after the mystery cat showed up, a neighbor told Valente that they thought it might belong to a woman, Rose Garcia, who lived in the apartments on the street behind Myths and Maidens. Valente said she went to the address she was given and spoke with Garcia. She said that initially, Garcia told her she did not want the cat, named Sgt Tibbs, back but then later changed her mind. Valente said that Garcia had agreed to provide medical records to prove that Sgt. Tibbs was her cat.
Garcia reportedly never provided Valente with any records or proof of ownership and instead contacted police to report her cat as stolen by Valente, as well as asking for help in a public Manchester Facebook group and making the claim of theft by Valente.
Valente explains that she received a visit from Animal Control. The officer looked over Sgt. Tibbs, and requested Valente keep him until Monday when ownership could be established. Valente said she wanted any neglect or abuse ruled out before returning Sgt. Tibbs to Garcia. However, under New Hampshire law pets are considered property and she would be required to either return Sgt. Tibbs to Garcia or surrender him to Animal Control once ownership was established.
By the following Sunday afternoon, June 30, a handful of people began protesting outside of Myths and Maidens sporting signs that said “Cat Thieves” according to reporting by the Granite Post and a video posted online by Garcia. Garcia claims the posted video was taken just after Valente said she would not return Sgt. Tibbs due to Garcia being Black. Garcia’s boyfriend also said he heard Valente say it, but the video did not capture Valente saying this.
Valente vehemently and repeatedly denies she ever made any statements about race to Garcia or anyone else.
Once Garcia’s claims about Valente’s comment were broadcast in the community, Valente said that she and Myths and Maidens began to receive threats of violence and even death.
According to Valente’s account of what happened, on Tuesday, July 2, her daughter took Sgt. Tibbs to Animal Control to surrender him and when they arrived at the facility, Sgt. Tibbs was dead. Valente believes the stress of being transported and his poor general health contributed to his death.
Unfortunately, Sgt. Tibbs’ death also escalated the number of threats, especially the vitriol being spewed online and directed towards Valente, her family members, her shop, and her employees. In an attempt to protect her employees, Valente temporarily shut down the shop on July 3 for a week. She told TWH that she had filed for and received a restraining order against Garcia.
None of this was helped by a social media post made by the Manchester Animal Control Unit seeking the owner of a cat that was found dead at the crossroads near Valente’s shop. The post was soon deleted due to the ongoing investigation but made it appear the cat had been found in the street which according to Valente was not the case.
Granite Post reported that Garcia had requested a necropsy be performed on Sgt. Tibbs, alleging that his death was not from natural causes. The last veterinarian imaging tests that Valente paid for on Sgt. Tibbs showed that he had some type of large cystic lesion measuring 3 ½” by 2” on or around his pancreas.
TWH requested a copy of the necropsy but it was still unavailable at the time of publication. Whatever the results of the necropsy reveal, we are waiting for law enforcement and animal control to make the details public.
As for Valente, she does not regret trying to help Sgt. Tibbs. She said she would not hesitate to help any animal she encountered who needed help. She also told TWH that when it comes to people who would believe she would do harm to any animal, “Don’t buy from me or talk to me if you think I have harmed an animal.”
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