Posted on 05/24/2009 2:34:10 PM PDT by JoeProBono
LODI, Calif. -- A community controversy is brewing in Lodi.
A neighbor posted a sign with the words, "Hit a cat, I'll hit your kid." Some neighbors said they are concerned their children's lives are being threatened.
"Basically what this is saying is: Hit a cat and I'll hit your kid," said Tina Teixeira.
Teixeira got a lot of attention after she put the sign up in front of her West Elm Street home in Lodi.
"You don't want me to hit your kid so don't hit mine. You hurt mine, that is just like if I went over and ran over your kid. Basically, that is what I was intending," said Teixeira.
Teixeira said she decided to take action after a driver ran over and killed her cat on the bike lane on Friday.
Some parents were outraged over her cardboard note.
"Basically she is threatening to hit people's kids," said concerned neighbor Joann Larsen.
"One parent said that I was psychotic," said Teixeira.
Teixeira said she wanted to shock drivers, not harm their kids.
Teixeira said she knows her sign would upset people but she put it up because she is tired of people driving 65 mph on a 35 mph zone.
She said she noticed some cars slowing down and reading her sign so she wrote a new sign.
"After burying the cat and calming down a little bit ... (I realized) that it was a little shock value. It got attention for people, so I thought that I would put it in more understanding terms," said Teixeira.
The revised sign reads: I watch for your kids, so please watch out for mine.
"That is the whole point here is to stop hurting animals," said Teixeira.
Teixeira said she isn't shy about yelling at drivers and even her neighbors. She said she even mentioned she spit on someone to protect her cats.
Only one neighbor wanted to talk about her sign on camera. Others said they wanted to avoid any problems.
"I do like that she changed it," Larsen said.
The animal lover said she can only hope she can keep her cats from losing another life.
Teixeira said some of her feral cats don't like to stay indoors.
She said she hopes her sign will get city leaders to install speed bumps in her neighborhood, which is right near a school.
"Hit a cat, I'll hit your kid."Oh. Really?
"Basically what this is saying is: Hit a cat and I'll hit your kid," said Tina Teixeira.
Aren’t bike lanes for bikes? Not cars?
Sorry about your bad day, but that is funny...:O( I’m not laughing out loud
"Hit a cat, I'll hit your kid."
"Basically what this is saying is: Hit a cat and I'll hit your kid," said Tina Teixeira.
Wait. What?
Wow, I wonder why anyone would say she is psychotic simply because she equates the death of a cat with that of a child?
I don't know where you live in CA but I drive 65 almost every day. Only on roads posted for 55 though, just like everyone else who lives in this area. In residential areas I drive the speed limit. You must be in one crowed part of the state if you can't drive 65 on the freeway, whenever I get on a freeway most of the people are doing about 85 or 90.
Oops typo on 58, crowed should be crowded.
I hope you left the </sarcasm> off your comment. There are many sarcasm challenged about.
Yeah, I figured people would know I was being sarcastic, although from some of the comments on here, I am not to sure.
I doesnt say a car was in the bike lane.
It says a CAT was in the bike lane.
You cant make that stuff up.
Poor “Tiny”
Well I lived in Sdiego 20 years ago and it was a task.
16 mi in 2 hrs at rush hour.
Quite right sir!
She should have kept her stupid cat in the house.
Your comment has little to do with anything that I’ve said.
Perhaps, but it’s still true. :)
Okay. But my post 46 is still true. It was a bike lane where there could have been a kid and apparently people are speeding. Near a school. This time it was a cat. Next time?
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