My crazy neighbor and animal control

[Slave to the Phone]

Background:

According to the law, pets are not allowed to run loose. If I get my hands on a cat or dog in my yard, it's legal to take them to the pound. Its also legal to take them to a vet, have them fixed and then release them. I don't release feral dogs, but I will take them to the shelter and hope that things will get better for them.

I do, however, trap cats and have them fixed. Due to the fact that I do this all the time, the only way for me (and other rescue folks) to know that a cat has been fixed, they are all get eartipped.

Now to the sighting!

About 5 months ago, I had a neighbor's cat fixed and tipped. Today, an Animal Control Officer and 3 cop cars showed up in the neighbor's yard because some evil person had cut her beloved cat's ear off.

I just happened to be where I could hear the drama, and almost died while listening to the AC guy trying to explain what had happened to kitty's ear and balls. Neighbor went totally crazy when she learned that her cat was fixed because she was going to breed it and make lots of money. Officer Friendly tried to gently remind her that pets weren't allowed to roam free and she slugged him in the balls so "he would know what her cat felt like".

That didn't work out as well as neighbor thought it would.

(After she got loaded into the squad car, I talked the AC guy into leaving the cat. I had already had that one fixed, if he took it she would just get another one that I would have to have fixed.

PS, when one has been doing this sort of thing for over 30 years, one knows how to do it cheap/free.)

[Valentinian]

*mad cackling laughter is audible from Australia*

[AnaKhouri]

OMG, I laughed out loud. My pet peeve is people who let their stupid cats roam around outside. Mine stay inside and maybe venture out to the patio, but they're allowed no further AND they're fixed. I've found too many mutilated dead (and not quite dead) small animals in my yard thanks to the neighbors' idiot felines.

And she must not pay that close attention to her beloved breeder if she didn't notice his testicles were gone. Was he kept inside overnight afterward? She didn't even notice he was gone for days?

[morgana]

Background:

she was going to breed it and make lots of money.

Yeah, right.

LMAO, here.

[Kittish]

What do you want to bet she dumps that cat in a shelter (hopefully in a shelter) and gets another one?

[Slave to the Phone]

I do keep males overnight before releasing them. Females get 2-3 days depending on how they are handling it. And it had been almost SIX months! (I do keep records about this stuff.)

He's a big fluffy guy, so I can see maybe not noticing the lack of balls, but ear tipping is an easily visible marking and intact male cats reek. I think that's the part all the LEO folks were having problems with. Over 5 months to notice some very obvious surgical alterations and now she's having a meltdown?

Kittish, I really don't think she will dump her kitty due to inertia. I think its very possible that she will get another intact cat to breed, but I currently have a grant that will pay for 10 cats to be fixed, shot and ear tipped. After I run out of that one, I can get another grant/TNR certificate or whatever easily enough. I've been doing this forever because I love cats and feel that all cats should have a safe and loving inside home (ours have had catios since long before keeping cats inside was a thing.)

If all cats can't have homes, at least I can stop them from spending all of their lives breeding. Intact feral cats usually don't last longer than 2-3 years. TNR'D ferals can live up to 8-10 years.

Sorry, PSA over. Back to mocking crazy neighbor, who hasn't returned home yet. I imagine bail for assaulting a police officer is rather steep, but kitty knows where the feeding station is and that he has paid his "toll" in flesh so will always be able to find kibble and water there.

[morgana]

There's a halo waiting for you somewhere, Slave.

[telecom_goddess]

Do they ever do a notch in the ear when they're fixed? I've noticed an ear notch in two male cats I know are fixed, but not any others. It looks different from the ear clipping mentioned.

[Nunavut Pants]

Some places notch an ear. Some tip an ear. Some use a punch to make a semi-circle cutout in the edge of an ear. Depends on the place that does the procedure.

I have also been involved with TNR (Trap-Neuter-Release) efforts on a large tech campus where I used to work. It's not easy work; kudos to Slave for doing it!

[Daskinor]

I think I am up to 40 myself. We are near a famous vet and surgical school. So the TNRs are basically free. I actuality took one of our regular ferals to be put down, looked like a car got his leg.

We do a ear punch near the tip.

[Slave to the Phone]

I'd heard of ear-notching, but never heard of ear-punching before. My understanding is that vets tip ears because notching can be mistaken for fighting scars. The pics I have seen of ear notched cats have looked nothing like battle scars to me, but I have seen thousands of rescue cats and hundreds of trapped ferals over the years. A noob might not be able to see what I do as quickly as I do, simply because they haven't developed the habit of looking at certain areas right away yet.

TNR and animal rescue isn't the easiest thing I've ever done, but after you have been doing it for a while, it just becomes habit. Or an addiction, or something.

So, back to crazy neighbor lady. We have never spoken. She turns her back when she sees me and if I happen to catch her eye and wave, she just turns her back faster. The only reason I know anything about what is happening over there is because I smoke and she is loud.

She is back. Not only did she make bail, she has a little, long haired white puppy. With no fences, and nothing but weeds for a yard. In the middle of nowhere where coyotes and hawks and cars roam.

Stay tuned for the next installment: "Crazy neighbor lady and the police." when she notices that she hasn't seen her dog for a couple of weeks and thinks that someone has dognapped her very valuable and beloved dog that she was going to breed and make lots of money. Hopefully, that will have actually happened and dog has a new home, because any other ending won't be as good.

[dalesys]

because any other ending won't be as good.

Except for Wiley.

[Kittish]

Oh that poor puppy.

[Slave to the Phone]

Unless she lets puppy out very late at night, I or one of the animal friendly neighbors (who have all been alerted about the pup) will nab it.

Our plan if she sees one of us in the act and confronts us is to just call the Sheriff and Animal Control and let them sort it out. At the very least, she will get a ticket and know that the AC lady (who does the job because she loves animals) is going to be paying special attention to her.

If she doesn't catch us, pup already has a foster home set up (at least 60 miles away).

If the poor little thing needs to go out in the middle of the night and she just opens the door, Wiley will have a nice little snack.

[Argabarga]

So, who is the REAL animal in need of control here, Miss?