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 ...
their is no good argument as to why leash laws should only apply to dogs and not cats. I do think that we have had this discussion before. About a year ago. :)
Yes there is a good argument. Cats are extremely hard to train on a lease and they get spooked by them. It’s unnatural. THey climb trees and stalk. IF you dont’ like the way GOd made them (special) then take it up with God. But, don’t try to change and warp nature into what you think it should be.
He was 15 years old. He lived a long wonderful life, with plenty of food, adventures, and all the veterinary care he could possibly benefit from. Children sometimes get hit by cars too — that’s not a reason to keep them locked indoors all their lives. Quality of life is important, and cats don’t give a hoot whether they live one year, or 10 years, or 20 years, but they care if they’re comfortable and enjoying themselves from minute to minute. They don’t have plans to spend their retirement years golfing or playing with their grandchildren or volunteering for a charity.
Little Gordon apparently fell asleep quickly from internal bleeding, after retreating to a favorite spot under the bookstore owner’s car, a few feet from where he’d been hit, and only a close inspection by the vet revealed that he’d been hit. His passing certainly involved no more suffering than if he’d lived a longer (or shorter) time, and had met his demise after coming down with kidney or liver or heart failure, or cancer, etc. Many indoor cats have died much younger, in some cases with their terminal illness brought on sooner due to obesity/lack of exercise/etc, and they’ve usually had much less enjoyment while they were alive. Yep, I think it’s a great idea to let them roam, and so do they.
They don't eat it. The worms get into the soil, the dogs walk on the soil, and then get the eggs when they lick their paws.
Why do you feel you have a Right to let your cat crap in my backyard?
Sounds like you probably saw the cat and sicked the dogs on it?
As usual you're half right. My dogs don't sic on anything.
Are you worried about the birds?
Terribly. That's why I shoot every single one of them.
You should be...better start putting out the traps or you're a BIG hypocrit:
It's spelled "hypocrite".
Merry Christmas and keep your cat out of my yard or I'll have you fined.
L
No more un-natural than leashing a puppy for the first time. Unless of course you're simply a lazy, irresponsible cat owner who thinks the Law doesn't apply to her.
But, don’t try to change and warp nature into what you think it should be.
House cats are not a 'natural' part of the environment in any sense of the word. They're an invasive species when uncontrolled.
L
Think of it as extra fertilizer. Also, you have way too much time on your hands. The emotional energy you exert on this issue alone must be very draining.
I'll be sure to send you some. Just Freepmail me your address and I'll make sure you get a nice box of free 'extra fertilizer' complete with a nice bunch of parasitic worm eggs. Merry Christmas!
The emotional energy you exert on this issue alone must be very draining.
I will quite happily forward to your attention the over $500.00 in Vet bills. That's a bit draining, too. Care to contribute? Christmas for Lurker Jr is going to be a bit leaner than we'd planned, but we've stimulated the local economy in other ways. I'm sure our Vet can put that money to better use than Clan Lurker....
Also, you have way too much time on your hands.
I'll be sure to think of all that excess time I have when I'm running fecal samples back to the vet, working overtime to buy the medication, transporting an infected feral animal to the County Animal Control office, you know, all those wonderful deeds I'll be doing in all that spare time I have.
Merry Christmas.
And bite me.
L
Sick. You are the very worst kind of irresponsible pet owner.
My vets sure don’t think so. Neither do my cats, who, though they are obviously free to relocate, never choose to.
Ms Willet ought to keep her cat under control on a leash in her own yard, and stop imposing it upon her neighbors. Either that, or she should accept that her cat becomes roaming game for her neighbors to trap.
No sympathy from me.
> The laws do not apply to cats because cats are not like dogs.
Yup. That’s because dogs are pets, and cats are varmints like mice and rats.
Either that’s one big cat, or you got tiny shoes. Is that a puma or something?
Lovely. When I get listeria after doing yardwork and it gives my baby birth defects, I suppose you’ll tell me I have “too much time on your hands” and should go complain about something else.
Cats taking a crap in other peoples’ yards are a health hazard. Dog owners are supposed to pick up after their animals, why are cat owners off the hook?
> Yes there is a good argument. Cats are extremely hard to train on a lease and they get spooked by them. It’s unnatural.
Pet Cobras would have a similar problem, I’d bet. Should they be allowed to roam free, too?
If cats can’t be suitably domesticated and controlled on a leash and kept within the confines of the owner’s yard, then we’d have to conclude that they are unsuitable for being kept as pets.
I’d go further and say that if you, as a cat owner, permit your varmint to roam the neighborhood free, then you are a menace who ought to be held personally and financially responsible for any damage your varmint does.
> THey climb trees and stalk. IF you dont’ like the way GOd made them (special) then take it up with God.
Or trap ‘em and take ‘em to the vet. That works, too: the Almighty has more important things to worry about than the neighbor’s cat.
> But, don’t try to change and warp nature into what you think it should be.
Likewise: cats were never intended to be domesticated. You said as much yourself!
Do like I do use the three “S” rule. Shoot, Shovel and Shut UP.
You obvioulsy have issues. Leave cats do what they were meant to do and quit killing them. I only pray God is keeping notes on you.
> Leave cats do what they were meant to do and quit killing them.
Aw, that’s naughty, Fawn. Where did I say I kill cats?
> I only pray God is keeping notes on you.
Santa certainly is. I’m on the “nice” list this year.
I see your true colors shining through.... this is all anyone needs to know about you.
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