Cambridge man charged with animal cruelty in alleged torture of 3 cats

A Cambridge man has been charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty following an investigation into the death of a cat who was found to have been shot multiple times with a BB gun and had its back legs taped together, and two other cases where the cats survived.

Rashad Gober, 31, of Cambridge, has been charged with four counts of animal cruelty, a felony charge. He was arrested at his home Thursday morning; he is expected to be arraigned in Cambridge District Court later on Thursday, according to Cambridge police in a press release.

Back on May 6, city Animal Control responded to a call for an animal crying beneath a car, and found Gosha, who was already dead when officers arrived. His hind legs were taped together with masking tape, and a necropsy showed that he had multiple BB gunshot wounds to his face and body, authorities said.

While police were investigating Gosha’s death, authorities learned of two other past cases of animal cruelty in East Cambridge. One case involved a cat named Tammy, who was injured with a BB gun on March 3 or 4. There was also Buddy, who suffered chemical burns. Both cats recovered from their injuries, according to police.

Gober allegedly said he found Buddy in his backyard, according to investigators, and brought him inside to seek medical attention. He used social media to notify the owner, and returned Buddy, officials said.

“After investigating tips submitted from the community and gaining further information during their investigation, the Cambridge Police and the MSPCA recovered key evidence in these cases from the defendant’s apartment, vehicle and phone,” police said.

Cambridge Police Commissioner Branville Bard Jr. said his office worked with the city Animal Commission, the MSPCA, and the Middlesex District Attorney on this case.

“We recognize and can understand the great alarm these cases caused to the East Cambridge community, and particularly to the cat owners,” he said in the release.

Gosha’s owner, Francisco Rosales, said he was “devastated” to learn what happened to his cat back when he was found.

“We’re devastated, and we cannot believe that something like this could happen to our cat, and our fear is that whoever killed Gosha could do this to someone else’s pet,” he said at the time.

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