Cat-killing bird-watcher heading to trial

The Houston Chronicle ^ | April 13, 2007 | HARVEY RICE

[BradtotheBone]

GALVESTON — After devoting much of his life to protecting wild creatures, a prominent naturalist here now faces trial on a felony charge of cruelty to animals.

Jim Stevenson, 53, a well-known bird-watcher and founder of the Galveston Ornithological Society, was indicted this week by a Galveston County grand jury on charges that he killed a feral cat Nov. 8 with a .22-caliber rifle.

"What really bothers me, this cat was down there killing endangered species of birds and others protected by law," Stevenson said in an interview Thursday. "Feral cats are not protected by law, and I stopped a cat from doing that and I get arrested."

Assistant District Attorney Bill Reed declined to discuss Stevenson's view of the law.

"All of those issues, I'm sure, will be flushed out in court," Reed said.

Stevenson, who has lived on Galveston Island since 1996, has traveled the world studying birds and published four books, including the Wildlife of Galveston. and publishes the Galveston Ornithological Society's quarterly newspaper, Gulls N Herons.

Despite his deep involvement with nature, or perhaps because of it, he has been accused of an aversion to feral cats because they prey on the birds he has studied.

Stevenson said the cat he is accused of killing had previously been captured and would have been euthanized had it not been spayed and and released.

Stevenson believes that there is no law protecting feral cats.

An official with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has said the law is unclear.

Although he admitted in a 1999 Internet posting to killing two dozen feral cats near his island home, Stevenson told the Houston Chronicle in November that he is fond of cats.

His arrest last year surprised and saddened many environmentalists.

"Jim Stevenson is not a bad man," Dori Nelson, chair of the Seabrook Eco-Tourism Committee, told the Chronicle soon after his arrest.

The arrest came after a toll-booth worker at the San Luis Pass Bridge told police that he heard two shots fired, then saw a white van speed away with Stevenson at the wheel.

One of the toll-booth employees, who had been feeding several feral cats and considered them pets, found the dead cat and pursued Stevenson. The employee said the cat already had a limp from an earlier bullet wound.

Stevenson is free on $10,000 bail. If convicted, he faces from six months to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

[ReignOfError]

I wonder if you are mixing up feral cats and stray cats. All cats without owners are not feral. A feral cat was born in the wild, to a mother who was also born in the wild and they are very hard if not impossible to tame. There are lots of stray cats who are not feral and they need homes and can become good pets.

Correct, and a crucial distinction. It might be possible to tame or train some feral cats, but animal welfare groups advise that you not bother trying -- with the the amount of time and effort it takes to tame a feral cat, you could adopt several cats from a local shelter, cats that are already tame and half of which will eventually be euthanized.

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

Hi there. I live in the Sierras too, near Pine Flat Lake. There are a few “feral” cats (or loose part-time pet cats) near my house. I haven’t been seeing the bluebirds or the scrub jays, but I do see them down in Fresno quite a bit. I hope they don’t attack the quails! I love those little guys. But I won’t be feeding them either. I’ll have to watch to see who’s doing what to whom.

[SZonian]

Faulty logic, failure to see a clear point, refusal to answer questions, failure to read concise posts clearly, inability to understand property rights, etc.

Good luck with your cat.

SZ

[Fawn]

Bitter, no common sense, over your head, cruel intentions, lacks compassion and understanding.
Good luck to you too.