Sixteen cats were found dead in a home in Merrill, Wisconsin. They were not victims of an accident. They were abandoned, starved, and left without water.

According to court records, police responding to a welfare check discovered at least seven dead cats immediately, with investigators later confirming 16 deceased animals inside the home. Empty water bowls, feces-covered floors, and evidence of prolonged neglect told a devastating story. One additional cat remains unaccounted for.

The man charged in this case, Matthew Krautkramer, now faces 48 counts of animal abuse, including mistreatment causing death, intentional failure to provide food, and intentional abandonment. Despite the scale of the suffering, he was released on a $2,400 cash bond and is awaiting his next court date on February 13.

We are not calling for vigilante justice. We are not asking for interference in the courts. We are asking for accountability and seriousness befitting the cruelty involved.

Animals depend entirely on humans for survival. When someone chooses to take responsibility for animals—and then abandons them to starve and die—that is not a mistake. It is cruelty.

We, the undersigned, call on:

• Lincoln County prosecutors to pursue these charges to the fullest extent of the law;
• The court to recognize the severity and scale of the harm inflicted;
• And Wisconsin lawmakers to examine whether current penalties and bond standards for extreme animal cruelty are sufficient to protect animals and deter future abuse.

Justice for these cats means more than charges on paper. It means showing that abandonment and neglect leading to death will be treated with the seriousness it deserves.

Sign this petition to say: The 16 cats mattered. Justice must follow.