A Mail Carrier Was Caught on Camera Pepper-Spraying an Elderly Cat. When the Owner Confronted Him, He ‘Denied It’

A message bearer was caught connected camera spraying an aged feline pinch what appeared to beryllium capsicum spray — but he denied it.

The carrier, a United States Postal Service (USPS) employee, was delivering message successful Rancho Cordova, Calif., connected nan evening of Monday, July 28, erstwhile Chris Commander’s feline Xena was sitting extracurricular of his home, arsenic she often does, according to The Sacramento Bee. What nan bearer did adjacent shocked Commander, 35, to his core.

Rather than pet nan 15-year-old feline, arsenic different postal carriers typically do, nan man appeared to spray Xena pinch capsicum spray — and nan full incident was caught connected camera, pinch Commander watching live, according to nan newspaper.

The message bearer backed distant from nan tortoiseshell cat, who was opinionated adjacent to nan pathway that leads up to nan beforehand door, and said, “Get nan f--- retired of here,” nan footage, obtained by The Sacramento Bee, shows. Then, contempt nary guidance from Xena, who was wholly motionless, nan bearer grabbed a spray vessel from his container and proceeded to spray liquid astatine nan cat.

Xena past scurried crossed nan pathway and distant from nan carrier, arsenic he repeated, “Get nan f--- retired of here,” and began to attack nan door. He decided against it, however, alternatively leaving without dropping disconnected nan mail. (He near it connected nan hood of a car, Commander told The Sacramento Bee.)

As nan incident unfolded astir 7 p.m. section time, Commander — an proprietor of 2 dogs and 4 cats — was sitting successful his surviving room erstwhile he heard 1 of his dogs barking adjacent his beforehand door, he recalled to The Sacramento Bee. Curious, he decided to look astatine his Ring doorbell camera livestream, and proceeded to witnesser nan message bearer spray his oldest cat, seemingly unprovoked.

The Rancho Cordova resident told nan newspaper that he instantly sewage up to face nan USPS carrier, who was already successful his vehicle. Despite grounds to nan contrary, he denied spraying nan cat.

“I asked him directly, ‘Did you spray my cat?’ He denied it. And past he said thing astir he’s a feline person himself,” Commander told The Sacramento Bee.

Upon returning home, nan proud pet proprietor recovered Xena covered successful what he described to nan newspaper arsenic an oily, strong-smelling substance. He was worried that nan spraying whitethorn person near nan aged feline pinch respiratory problems, peculiarly fixed her age, but she appeared unscathed and “in bully spirits,” he said.

“I didn’t cognize I had to beryllium worried astir this,” Commander told The Sacramento Bee. “I conscionable can’t understand really this moreover happened, to beryllium honest.”

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After his confrontation was met pinch denial, nan concerned pet proprietor submitted a general title to USPS. The institution is alert of nan incident, which USPS spokesperson Meiko S. Patton said is presently nether reappraisal successful a connection obtained by The Sacramento Bee.

“The United States Postal Service holds its labor to precocious standards of conduct, and immoderate actions that conflict pinch these values are taken seriously. We are presently reviewing this incident and will return due action based connected nan results to guarantee alignment pinch our committedness to integrity and professionalism," Patton said.

While Xena is okay, her proprietor still wants answers. "I don't spot why you'd spray a feline that conscionable wanted to beryllium pet," Commander told CBS News Sacramento.

"It was conscionable frustrating,” nan proprietor added, “and benignant of sad to spot that."