SEVERAL Mount Isa residents were witness to a man euthanising a kitten on the side of vehicle in Simpson Street last week.
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Mount Isa resident Laura Halvorsen witnessed the event and said she is disgusted at the lack of compassion for animals in Mount Isa.
Mrs Halvorsen said there were a lot of people walking past the kitten during the busy lunchtime.
"I have had a gutful of this, I'm a local and I have lived here my whole life and I am sick of things happening to animals. I expect better from people," she said.
"I'm disgusted at the whole situation, the man for killing it and the fact that there were people around who were not helping.
"They were doing nothing."
Mrs Halvorsen said she was initially shocked to see the kitten lying near such a busy road.
"I noticed something out of the corner of my eye and I parked the vehicle to get out and try and rescue the kitten," she said.
"I could tell there was something wrong with it and I saw a man get out of his vehicle and I saw him pick up the kitten and his interpretation was that someone had run over it and left it there, then he got it off the road and holding it by the leg he hit it on the side of his truck totally killing it."
She said the man told her that he wanted to "put it out of it's misery".
Mrs Halvorsen said the man's misguided attempt to help was a devastating sight and she would have taken the kitten to the vet for a humane euthanistaion.
"I have had enough of people coming to Mount Isa and being cruel. That kitten deserved better than that," she said.
Cloncurry vet Donna Webber said the euthanisation of the kitten on the side of the road was "not ideal" and would recommend people take any injured animals to the vet or the pound for humane treatment.
"The animal needs to be checked out properly and scanned for microchip so the owner can be contacted," she said.
"For a pet to go missing and the owner not receiving any information is a devastating situation."