It’s likely there were a few steps between her first feeding of the cats and jail. They don’t spend much time covering that.
@evilkolbot: At least foxes are a natural part of our environment. Domesticated cats are not. Cats do a plenty good job of covering everything in piss and shit while also killing for sport.
But our realm of possible options isn’t limited to throwing an old lady in a jail renowned for its violence, poor conditions and human rights violations, or allowing a cat incest barn to flourish. We could, as a wild idea, have social services offer assistance for what from other reporting looks like an animal hording issue and work with the animal welfare agencies in the area to step up their TNR program.
They should do something about the cats, not the cat lady.
Right? How about they increase public funding for spaying and neutering campaigns maybe. This lady spending 10 days in prison isn’t going to magically decrease the feral cat population at a stroke. They’ll get food elsewhere. The only real, proven way to deal with feral cats is to catch them when you can and spay and neuter them.
I remember reading the reply to a question like this, about eating nuisance wild turkeys, which was in effect that though the birds look plump, it could just be feathers and they’re likely scrawny birds without much fat (as they get around more than domestic birds).
Plus they probably eat stuff laced with toxins. Those golf courses are usually loaded with nasty chemicals.
Cat for Christmas dinner?
No, Canadian geese. Damn pronoun game.
She wasn’t sentenced for feeding the cats, she was sentenced for violating her probation. She was first cited in 2015 and has since been cited multiple times for having too many cats an failing to dispose of animal waste. The warden has removed 22 cats from her house over the last 4 years. This is a public health issue. She is not “helping the kitties”, she’s abusing animals. Is that her intention? No. Does she deserve to go to that particular jail? No. No one else does, either. Shut down the jail. Should she get counseling and help from social services? Yes. Is that likely? About as likely as feeding the hungry and housing the homeless. What other recourse does the community have? Do they set up an agency to spay, neuter, and vaccinate her cats? Where does the funding come from? Even PETA and the ASPCA euthanize most of the animals they take in.
I don’t really care that it is for violating probation, incarceration is a ludicrous penalty for both the original offense and the probation violation. Fines and community service are existing penalties for offenses that don’t lock someone in a cage. Cleveland’s had an agency engaged in trap neuter release work for ages. County lock up averages about $86 a day. You could pay for a good deal of counseling and remediation of the harm she did just on the cost difference between locking her up and a more reasonable penalty.
The linked article, which uses the tag “big government”, leaves a great deal out of the story, notably the efforts of local animal welfare. Also,there is conflicting information about the reason for her sentence. Local news reports it was for contempt of court. Apparently, she pissed off a judge. There is a hearing scheduled to review her case. In my admitted habitually skeptical opinion, the linked article did not present this story accurately, clicks being what they are. This story may better present the facts of the matter: https://fox8.com/2019/07/30/79-year-old-woman-will-get-a-new-hearing-before-reporting-to-jail-for-feeding-stray-cats/
The contempt was because this was not her first probation violation. The offense in question was still the feeding. She’s paid a few grand in fines. Current updates are that she will not be incarcerated after a hearing with the judge who is officially on her case, the judgement was suspended. Local animal groups and the city’s animal warden have collected a bunch of the cats and she is removing any items from the yard that might constitute shelter for the cats.
From @Spizella’s link :
A Garfield Heights ordinance prohibits residents from feeding cats and dogs other than any animals they own, the ordinance says. The ordinance says that residents are encouraged to not set food outside of their home. It’s considered a minor misdemeanor.
I think a life sentence in the hoosegow is tough punishment for a “minor misdemeanor”, but I’m a softie that way.
Let me guess: She isn’t related to anyone in her city’s government.
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