Man Who “Gutted” Church Cat Pleads Guilty

Tracy Clark, the man accused of trying to “gut” a cat named Scatt that served as the therapy cat for White Center’s Cross Church, plead guilty Monday (June 29th) to first-degree animal cruelty charges.

Clark originally plead “not guilty” in May for the April 20th attack that left the cat with multiple stab wounds, including a 7-inch gash on its side.

As we reported April 21st, Clark, 47, was arrested by King County Sheriff’s officers on animal cruelty charges after he allegedly severely injured the animal with a box cutter knife.

Another resident was awakened by Clark around 1am on Monday, April 20th, who told him that he had “gutted the cat.” The resident thought the suspect was intoxicated, and both men ended up going to bed.

The next afternoon the church pastor found the severely-injured cat in the parking lot.

According to court documents, Clark claims that the cat “attacked him” first, forcing him to defend himself. He said he grabbed the cat by the throat, threw it against the wall and then stabbed it with his own knife.

Scatt spent ten days at the South Seattle Veterinary Hospital and is still recovering.

Clark is scheduled to be sentenced on July 17th, and if convicted, could face up to a year in jail. He is being held on $50,000 bail.