Petition: Texas Teacher Accused Of Abusing Cat Should Be Reinstated ‘No Questions Asked’

The petition says “an exceptional teacher” has been “unjustly accused.” The petition’s creator blamed “snowflakes” for sharing the video of the incident with police, who arrested the teacher on Aug. 25.

A new petition claims Texas high school teacher Emily Marie Benner has been “unfairly accused” of abusing a cat and demands Benner’s school district reinstate her as a teacher immediately, “no questions asked.”

The petition’s creator blames “soft, slow-minded” “snowflakes” for allegedly manufacturing outrage, claims Benner could sue police for arresting her, and demands authorities drop charges against her.

Benner was arrested on Aug. 25 after police and school administrators were provided with a video showing the 25-year-old teacher allegedly abusing a cat two days earlier. In the video, which was shot in a classroom at Westwood High School of Palestine, Texas, Benner tells her students to hold the screaming feline down as she staples shut an incision on the cat’s abdomen, according to police, who also said the cat was not given anesthesia.

Benner was teaching an animal science class but is not a veterinarian and isn’t licensed to practice veterinary surgery. It’s not clear how she obtained the cat, nor have authorities said who made the initial incision on the cat’s abdomen. Police said the feline is recovering in the care of a veterinarian.

According to the petition, Benner is “a dedicated agricultural teacher in Westwood” who “has been unjustly accused of animal cruelty.”

“Her charge not only questions her professional integrity but also jeopardizes her role as an influential educator in our community. As people who appreciate her significant contributions to education in Palestine, TX, USA, we understand how detrimental this baseless accusation is to our local education system. Considering she has been an exceptional teacher, we call for the immediate dismissal of these charges and the reinstatement of Emily Marie Benner in her role, no questions asked.”

Teacher accused of animal cruelty
A still image from Benner’s high school classroom on Aug. 23 shows students holding down the thrashing, screaming feline while Benner staples its abdomen.

While Westwood School District Superintendent Wade Stanford said the “procedure amounted to animal cruelty” and promised to take “immediate and decisive action to address this issue” in a letter to parents of Westwood High School students, he did not say Benner was suspended or comment on her current status.

Benner’s arrest and alleged suspension as an educator is a “grave actionable breach to a respected member of our community,” the petition claims, asking signatories to help “right this wrong.” It also claims Benner has not been afforded due process.

“It’s the Christian thing to do and the right thing to do!” one person who signed the petition commented.

The petition’s creator, Jim Hughes of Palestine, made a post in Benner’s defense on Facebook, arguing that people were “spreading hate” by criticizing Benner. The post sparked arguments among locals who said home surgical procedures on animals are common in rural communities, and others who disputed that assertion, insisting it’s cruel not to provide the professional care of a veterinarian.

“Do you think everyone has the money to take their pet to the vet?” Hughes wrote, blaming the criticism on “snowflakes” who live in a “soft, slow-minded world.”

Arguing that animal owners “would be broke” if they sought veterinary help “for every incident,” Hughes said home surgery is just the way it’s done: “Every farmer I know castrates with just a pocket knife and no pain medicine.”

Top image credit: G. Fring/Pexels

25 thoughts on “Petition: Texas Teacher Accused Of Abusing Cat Should Be Reinstated ‘No Questions Asked’”

    1. What’s happening with the secession movement out there? Last I heard, voters in 13 counties have chosen to leave and become part of Idaho, but I haven’t heard anything new for months.

      I would not be surprised if the same happens here in New York.

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  4. send me her address I have enough money to get to Texas and I am sure I could carry out surgery on her in the same way, I clearly have the required zero medical qualifications or experience to carry out a home lobotomy, OR I am sure in the great state of Texas I could easily buy her pain relief in the form of a .45 cal tablet….

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    1. A Londoner going to Texas to mete out justice sounds like the plot of an action comedy co-starring Kevin Hart.

      Sad to say I’ve never been to Texas or Florida either for that matter. The furthest south I’ve been is Savannah, Georgia, which is a beautiful town.

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      1. it probably would be a comedy as I know nothing about guns or Texas… We do have a big client in Dallas who are all nice people however. Bad humans exist everywhere unfortunately.

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      2. I got lost on my trip to Savannah around 2006, right before smartphones. Found myself in rural Georgia: confederate flags, trucks in the front yard, all the cliches. I thought I’d stepped into a movie. I passed a country store, went in, no one looked at me twice, but the minute I opened my mouth everyone in the store turned around and looked at me like I was an alien. lol.

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  6. There are a whole lot of cat lovers in Texas who would be absolutely FURIOUS if they knew about this. Without seeing the video, I’d lean toward wanting more proof. However, two things give me pause on that: The fact that she was charged and her unbelievable smirk in the mugshot. Can someone not start a petition to hold her responsible for her actions? The fact this idiot is teaching anyone is mind boggling.

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    1. Well one thing I should reiterate is that the school did not actually say if any action has been taken against the teacher, but the petition claims she’s been suspended. The school’s vague statement is pretty normal, as most districts are careful not to say too much about pending cases.

      As for being held responsible, we’ll see what happens with the criminal case.

      My personal view is that there’s definitely a clash between “This is how it’s always been done on farms” vs the modern understanding the animals feel pain, anxiety and terror, and have emotions.

      I know absolutely nothing about education in Texas, so I’ll defer on that and just report what other people are saying.

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  7. Idiots in Texas are saying you could go broke if you bought your pet in for something routine.THIS IS NOT ROUTINE! THIS IS BARBARIC! And if you cannot afford something i am sure vets would work something out. Or set up a GoFundMe. ANYTHING but what this vile person did.

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  10. Curious how the person posting the petition dwells more on snowflakes and woke themes than the actual cruelty towards the cat. The teacher who did this to the animal needs to be fired. I want to say a lot more but will spare everyone the cursing and screaming.

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    1. I hate that attitude, that caring for the welfare of animals makes one a “snowflake” or somehow weak.

      Thanks for not raging. I do appreciate everyone who reads and comments, but I’m not on board with calling people pieces of shit or hoping they suffer. This will be litigated in court, where it should be.

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      2. Just a heads up: Lady Freethinker (LFT) has a petition that calls for the prosecution of the teacher for animal cruelty.

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