Texas vet who killed cat with arrow, posed for photo can't practice for 1 year, board decides

Kristen Lindsey, the veterinarian who posted a photo of a dead cat with an arrow through its head on her Facebook last year, will have her license suspended for one year where she will not be able to practice. Kristen Lindsey, the veterinarian who posted a photo of a dead cat with an arrow through its head on her Facebook last year, will have her license suspended for one year where she will not be able to practice. Image 1 of / 14 Caption Close Texas vet who killed cat with arrow, posed for photo can't practice for 1 year, board decides 1 / 14 Back to Gallery

The Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners ruled Tuesday that Kristen Lindsey, the veterinarian who posted a photo of a dead tabby cat named Tiger with an arrow through its head on her Facebook last year, will have her license suspended for one year where she will not be able to practice.

After, she will be able to practice under conditions of probation for four years.

Tuesday's hearing was the last in a string of debates on what action to take, if any, against Lindsey, after her photo incited international uproar from animal activists.

Lindsey, a veterinarian since 2012, was fired from her position at the Washington Animal Clinic in Brenham and put under investigation by the Austin County Sheriff's Office last April after she posted a photo holding a dead tabby cat named "Tiger" with a arrow through its head with a caption reading:

"My first bow kill, lol. The only good feral tomcat is one with an arrow through it's (sic) head! Vet of the year award... gladly accepted."

The clinic that fired Lindsey, 33, released a statement shortly after that saying: "We are absolutely appalled, shocked, upset, and disgusted by the conduct."

RELATED: Texas veterinarian fired, under investigation after bragging about killing cat with bow and arrow

On June 24, 2015, an Austin County grand jury decided not to charge Lindsey with a crime.

In October 2015, the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners moved to strip her license.

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From the day Lindsey posted the image to her now-deleted Facebook page on April 15 to Oct. 1, 2015, the board received 700 formal complaints, written comments from all 50 states in the U.S. and 77 countries and more than 27,000 emails about her actions, the board said in a filing.

A March 10 mediation meeting between the agency and Lindsey went unresolved and was continued during an April 25-26 contested hearing in Austin.

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At the hearing, the board was unable to determine if Lindsey could keep her veterinarian license.

KVUE reported that in August 2016, the State Office of Administrative Hearings recommended Lindsey’s veterinarian license be suspended for one year, then be put on four years of probation, and have the Brenham resident do 100 hours of community service.

On March 21 in Harris County, Lindsey was arrested around 1 a.m. and was charged with driving while intoxication, according to documents obtained from the Harris County District Clerk’s office by mySA.com. Documents revealed Lindsey had an alcohol concentration of at least 0.15. She paid a $1,000 bond the day after her arrest.

Staff writers Peggy O'Hare and Joshua Fechter contributed to this report.

kbradshaw@express-news.net

Twitter: @kbrad5