Nebraska couple pleads not guilty to animal cruelty charges in cat bong case

Acea Schomaker, the 20-year-old Nebraska man who was  cited last month for stuffing a cat inside a homemade bong and subjecting it to marijuana smoke, has pleaded not guilty to animal cruelty charges. His girlfriend, 22-year-old Marissa Vieux, also entered a not-guilty plea.

Schomaker has said he never intended to harm the 6-month-old cat, named Shadow, and only exposed her to marijuana because he'd heard of others calming their pets by blowing marijuana smoke in their faces. 

According to Schomaker, Shadow, who was adopted by Vieux two months before the incident from friends who she said were abusive to the cat, had behavior problems. Fearing Shadow would be euthanized if they relinquished her to an animal shelter, Schomaker said he resorted to his unorthodox method for relaxing Shadow.

"I know for sure this isn't the first time someone has done this," he has said. "I'm just the first one to get caught."  He also faces additional drug charges as a result of the incident and is scheduled to reappear in court April 20.  Vieux is due back in court May 4, Nebraska's KOLN/KGIN radio reports.

The cat was reportedly in good condition; she was removed from the home and taken to the Capitol Humane Society in Lincoln.

-- Lindsay Barnett

Photo: Acea Schomaker used this homemade bong, consisting of a piece of garden hose attached to a duct-taped Plexiglass box, to calm the 6-month-old cat, he has said. Credit: Associated Press

Comments

[kelly]

This guy's pure idiot.

[AD]

Bummer... he should see if he can get that court date changed.

[Walter Katz]

When I was a lot younger I used to put my cats in a bag and blow smoke into it to share what I thought was a pretty good experience with the pet I loved. I discovered two things. First that they really didn't care for the acrid smoke environment and second that there were two distinct reactions that were long lasting. They either got "high" and kind of acted drunk and buzzed or they emerged from the bag so paranoid that it took weeks to get over. Either way after only a few experiments of this nature I completely stopped doing it. Either result produced the impression that the really didn't like or enjoy it. And I valued my relationship with my friends (cats) too much to ever do it again. The thought that his were directly exposed to the hottest and strongest smoke directly from the pipe, the kind of smoke that'll make even the most hard core smoker choke and cough makes me question the owners relationship with animals in general.

This was an act of cruelty, nothing less. Try sitting in a burning building and try to breathe and you'll approximate what that poor cat went through. Bad human, BAD! You should be forced to enjoy a squirt bottle of water up the nose at the least.