Posted on 12/23/2008 9:54:37 PM PST by MovementConservative
PRAIRIE CITY, Ore. -- An elderly couple accused of trapping their neighbor's cat can avoid a trial if they write a letter of apology and pay a $177 veterinary bill.
But Vera and Dorrance "Smokey" Wilborn don't seem ready to perform either task, the East Oregonian newspaper reported.
The Wilborns say cats have long been a nuisance in their Prairie City neighborhood. To deal with the problem, they set a trap in their carport last spring.
The cat's owner, Tina Willet, called Oregon State Police on May 28 to report that she had to rescue her cat named "Spook." She said Spook hadn't returned that night, so she went searching until she heard cries coming from the Wilborns' carport. Unable to open the trap, Willet took the cat and the device back home.
The Wilborns were charged with theft of a companion animal. The case was headed to trial this month before District Attorney Ryan Joslin of Grant County had the case dismissed by the justice of the peace.
Joslin told he Wilborns' court-appointed attorneys that he could refile the charges unless the Wilborns pay the vet bill, stop trapping cats and write a letter of apology to the Willets.
The Wilborns' court-appointed attorneys, however, said they had already rejected those demands in earlier court proceedings. "I'm ready for trial," said Markku Sario, who represents 87-year-old Vera.
Smokey Wilborn, 83, is also against the settlement: "That cat still comes up here."
Meanwhile, Willet's also not thrilled with the possible outcome.
Though she doesn't believe the Wilborns should do jail time, she thinks a fine would be appropriate. And she says animal cruelty would have been the proper charge -- not theft.
She noted that other cats have disappeared in recent years, and wants assurances the Wilborns will stop trapping.
(Excerpt) Read more at oregonlive.com ...
My cats make excellent foot warmers! (We don’t even need to use the heater in the winter!!!)
Well, I think if the ‘cat people’ just understood they have the same responsibilities as any other pet owner (ie controlling/containing their animals, not allowing them to roam free) everyone would have no problems with them.
I like cats and dogs, though I don’t have any. I don’t blame the animal, I blame the owner. Because that’s the source of the problem - the owner. If they would just follow the laws/ordinances just like everyone else, things would be great.
Cute pic. They all buddies?
They ARE all buddies!!! :)
It’s embarrassing there’s any cat owners at FR. Cats are the most destructive animals INSIDE the house as well. They rip up the carpet, tear up the furniture, spray everywhere....shit anywhere and never come when they’re called. Sounds a lot like a DEMONCRAT.
I had to do a restoration on a rental from CAT DAMAGE that was so bad that sheet rock and some of the particle board decking inside the family room had to be removed. Couldn’t get the STINK out. This was after 4 coats of Zinsser shellac primer...must have used 15 gallons on the floor and some on the walls. It still stunk.
I live in the middle of town and I kill them on sight also. Get one of those silenced air rifles. It is most effective on cats.
I have trapped cats in the past. A person had about ten to fifteen of them. A lot of the trapped cats went to the pound. Eventually the offender stopped letting them roam.
I have never shot a cat either.
Time for animal rescue orgainizations to step up to the plate in their resuce efforts. =^..^=
I hate cats in my yard.
I usually just throw things at them, but a trap would be a good idea, or an air rifle, but I never see them really, only the mess they make.
Some of them poop in my garden. Some of them dig things up. One of them even digs up bulbs - God only knows why...
The worst one died - or disappeared. He used to mark his territory - which included the air intake vent on my car and the basement window in my laundry. The smell is disgusting. I would have trapped or shot that one if I saw him again.
We have barn cats. All our neighbors have barn cats. These cats wander. I’ve come across neighbor cats in my barns eating my cats’ food, but hey, another mouser in the barn is another mouser in the barn! We all feel that way.
Having said that...
When we lived in the city, our next-door neighbor let her cat wander. It dug up our plants. Besides, we were one block away from a very busy street and 1/4 mile away from the DC Beltway. Allowing a cat to roam in such an area is irresponsible. After a while, the cat stopped coming around. A speeding car stopped his rambles. That didn’t have to happen.
That is the trap I set for nosy no-life bitter neighbors——good riddance to the ignorant lowlifes.
What a coincidence. I have a strong dislike for people who have a strong dislike for ‘beasts’.
The laws do not apply to cats because cats are not like dogs.
I think that elderly couple would benefit from a psych eval.
It’s very disheartening to see so many cold hearted bitter cruel people in here that can actually do what you do. Care to tell the police what you are doing? Didn’t think so.
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