78-year-old woman persecuted by condominium administrators for feeding a cat or cats in common areas

NEWS AND VIEWS - THIS IS AN OPINION PIECE: This is a classic case of an elderly lady who is tenderhearted and decent and as a consequence she is feeding a cat or cats at a condominium: Tampa Racquet Club Condominium in Florida. Her name is Joan P Hussey. She's been in dispute with the administrators of this condominium before over this issue.

This image is for illustration purposed only. This is not Joan. Picture: Pixabay.

Hussey claimed that she only feeds a black-and-white cat that she ensured had been sterilised years ago. This cat's name is Cleo. The condominium say that she is feeding cats in the plural against their rules in and around the common parts of this condominium as reported by Tampa Bay Times.

They argue that she is attracting other animals and creating an wanted health issue for the neighbours and tenants, blah blah blah. It's the usual stuff if you are familiar with this sort of litigation and argument. It's usually the big, classy condominiums with expensive apartments who end up pushing around old ladies when they feed a couple of cats on the manicured grounds. And it's usually one or two leaseholders who complain about a little old lady who can't help herself feeding stray cat or cats. She's too nice to see cats starving.

Hussey says that she puts down a bowl of dry food under her car in its covered parking space. After her cat, Cleo, has eaten she picks up the food. She does this to avoid being accused of attracting other wild animals. She appears to be monitoring the feeding carefully and sensibly. She said that she is very surprised to be sued and that she looks after the cat respectfully.

The condominium administration say that she's been asked to stop several times and doesn't comply. The matter went to arbitration as it has to under the law but Hussey didn't attend the arbitration process because she was confused by all the jargon and papers. 

However, an order was made against her in her absence which required her to stop feeding the cats. She had, inadvertently, dug a bit of a hole for herself. Although she could probably get that hearing reheard and appoint a lawyer to attend a fresh one.

In the interests of justice a fair hearing needs to take place and it didn't for whatever reason. Now she's being sued in the courts and the condominium administrators want the court to issue an injunction against her. This would be an order to stop her feeding the cat or cats. It is not clear to me from the story whether the condominium are telling the truth about the number of cats or whether Hussey is.

The condominium are also asking her to pay their reasonable lawyer's costs and fees. The hearing is yet to be set and in the meantime the condominium administrators, through their lawyer, are saying that Hussey must comply with the arbitration order.

Hussey feels persecuted and concerned. She said: "I go to bed at night and I can't sleep, thinking about this thing."

It's the big machine against the little person. It's keeping a fancy residential complex tidy against what some consider to be unsightly community cats or a sole community cat wandering around. It offends the eye of some leaseholders. They want everything picture perfect. They don't see the need to be tender and decent towards what appears to be an abandoned animal which needs the help of somebody. That somebody is an old lady of 78 and she is paying the price for her kind heart and her tender actions.

New York state bans cat declawing and advances cat welfare in the USA by leaps and bounds

New York state's Gov Cuomo signed off the statewide cat declawing ban very recently and the law is effective immediately. It is reproduced below. It is an amendment of an existing statute. It's quite clear that it bans cat declawing for nontherapeutic reasons which accounts for 99.9% of declawing in America.

Going forward, veterinarians can still declaw cats with their client's informed consent if there is a genuine health reason for doing so. The operation has to be done in the interest of the cat, the patient. No longer can clients protect their furniture by declawing their cat.

This, to me, is a massive step forward in cat welfare in America. It is almost certainly the beginning of the end of cat declawing in that country. It should please millions of cat lovers both in America, Europe and in other countries of the world. In represents an advancement in cat welfare by leaps and bounds. Going forward, it is highly likely that other US states will follow in a domino effect and I'm hopeful that perhaps in several years cat declawing will be no longer exist in this great cat loving country.

It is highly ironic and a distortion of attitudes that in America with more cat lovers than anywhere else and indeed more domestic cats than any other country that they should be brutalising their companion animals from no reason other than to protect furniture. This is completely nuts and utterly incorrect. The ban will chang attitudes for the better. People will learn that they can live with cats who have their claws.

It shouldn't take a legal ban to achieve this result. The veterinarians should have stopped voluntarily years ago. Indeed, it should never have been invented (in the 1950s) - this damned operation. But there it is and here we are. The time has come to stop it.

Is highly likely that the recent bans on declawing in Canada has had an effect on the New York State legislature and possibly upon Cuomo, himself. In Canada large parts of the country now ban declawing.

Weymouth Near Boston USA Decide Against Cat Leash Law

A proposal for what is in effect a cat leash law has been rejected by the Weymouth town committee and the council will probably take up the recommendation to reject the proposal at the next meeting. Under the proposal cat owners would be required to:

• Keep their cats leashed or under their control when outside the home and;
• clean up after their cats and;
• the animal control officer would be charged with the duty of picking up stray cats.

The committee decided against the proposal for the following reasons:

• Animal control receive very few complaints about stray cats - three complaints in three years.
• The town would have to be responsible for picked up stray cats for 30 days or more (presumably this would place a financial burden on the town that would be unacceptable).
• Collars attached to leashes can choke cats.
• The proposed ordinance was unworkable because the wording was imprecise.
• The proposed ordinance was probably unenforceable.

Leash laws are often discussed by local law makers and on the other side of the coin, how to deal with stray and feral cats are also often discussed. They are both addressing the major cat problem in the USA: unregulated cat breeding and irresponsible cat ownership leading to unwanted and stray cats causing a nuisance. TNR is becoming more popular for dealing with strays. Leash laws are hardly ever created (I know of none).

Weymouth is about 20 km south of Boston city center. The photo is by Finn Frode living in Denmark.

Looking into the mind of a cat killer

Nasty cat killer, Joseph Carlo Candare, a physics undergraduate in the Philippines, admits that he killed a cat in his blog (a public website). What he says gives us a little bit of an insight into the mind of a cat killer. This is a cruel sociopathic type person. I am not saying that he is a sociopath but he clearly has a problem with empathising with the pain and discomfort of others. He is dangerously antisocial. I don't think that it matters if the other party is a person or a cat. Below is a photo image of part of his blog. The language is a mixture of English and his native language.

Cat Killer

He says in an interview with the police (I presume) that "it feels good when you are beating it" but when the cat dies he says that he feels something strange. He does not use the word "die". He says "when it turns off permanently".

Perhaps that last comment gives us an insight. He speaks of a domestic cat as if it is a machine that is turned on and off. An inanimate object.  He totally lacks any connection to the fact the he is killing a living and feeling creature. He also lacks any sense of what he is doing is criminal and morally wrong as he published a record of the killing on the internet. He is dangerous it seems to me and should be treated. The judge did not make any order regarding the mental health of this person.

This monstrous person was successfully convicted of animal cruelty. It was the first conviction for animal cruelty in the Philippines. If that is true it is extraordinary. It tells us that there is not a lot of enforcement of the animal welfare laws in the Philippines.

Joseph Carlo Candare intends to start killing cats again after he has completed his sentence (community service and a fine). He indicates that he kills cats regularly because it feels good and he hates cats. As this crime happened in May 2011, he has probably killed several cats by now (Dec 2011) and got away with it.

Wild cats in Massachusetts

The only wildcat in the wild in Massachusetts is the bobcat (Lynx rufus). It is "harvested" in a controlled manner for the fur trade. Fifty bobcats can be killed per year. There is a hunting season and a closed season when hunting is not allowed. Since 1971 hunting of bobcats has been regulated. They are classified as a "furbearer species" by the authorities of Massachusetts. My personal view is that hunting is horrible and the word "harvesting" in relation to wild animals is disrespectful of nature and arrogant of humankind.

The wildcat hybrid domestic cat is banned in Massachusetts. It is also banned in Alaska, Hawaii and New York states (in NY five generations from the wild serval are allowed in the state but not the city).

As to captive wild cats in Massachusetts, in the private sector and under the AZA (Association of Zoos & Aquariums) there are less than 100 wild cats of any species. The actual number as at October 2011, according to Lynn Culver executive director of FCF is 88. As I understand it these are the numbers in USDA licensed facilities. There will be wildcats and wild cat hybrids held captive illegally and in unregulated facilities. I don't know these numbers and nor does anyone else.

Massachusetts don't allow private sector breeding of wild cats unless it is for the AZA Species Survival Plan® (SSP).

Cat Facts

There are over 2,000 pages of cat facts on this website. They are not simply regurgitated facts but opinionated and carefully prepared facts; please use Google custom search on the home page! Yes, this site is about a lot more than pictures of cats. It is about the best facts about cats, too. And I cannot tell you about them all on one page because there are so many facts. The best thing to do by far is to simply type in what you are searching for and, bingo, Google will oblige.

My favorite cat facts are these sorts of facts:

Cat Facts: Animal Rights - the competition and antagonism between, for example, cat breeders, sport hunters, even pet "owners" and the animal rights activists such as PETA and HSUS is astonishing. I, for one, cannot understand why these polarized groups cannot work together in the interests of the cat (except of course the horrible, callous and unthinking sport hunters). These are people from both ends of the spectrum who claim to love animals so lets see it in action, working together. President Obama has realized that the best way forward is one of dialogue, a unified approach and the lesson should be learned by these disparate groups. I have made a number of posts on this subject here's three (a) Cat Breeders and Animal Rights (b) Bone to Pick With PETA (c) Cats and the Law.

We must also think very hard about the wild cats. We don't see them enough to think about them and we don't see them enough because they are either hiding from us (wisely - I am thinking about, for example, the elusive Canadian Lynx) or there aren't that many left due to the ever present human population expansion resulting in habitat loss for the wild cat, poaching, which takes place mainly in third world countries due to economic pressures and the unjustifiable, horrible sport hunting. Poaching is driven by commercial enterprises as Chinese Medicine. The current economic downturn will make things worse for the wildcat.

I am one of those people who disagree with animal experimentation. I do realize though that there are arguments for it, I just don't agree with them. Daily we read about discoveries that inform us about the hidden intelligence of many wild species. We are still learning. We must not presume that wild animals used in animal testing are not feeling great distress and pain notwithstanding the rules and regulations surrounding animal testing (in some countries - China has no animal welfare laws in relation to testing or general domestic animal welfare). These rules don't protect the animals. And it is intelligent scientists who perform the experiments. Animal testing is even done by cosmetics companies and by cat food manufacturers (Purina). The first is obviously completely ridiculous and the second is extremely hypocritical and ridiculous.

Then there are the feral cats, the vulnerable cats that have returned to the wild. These are the forgotten cats. We created them through our irresponsibility and now we kill them as pests and as a nuisance. These cats have few rights except those given by devoted rescue center people.

Cat Facts: The Breeds - We can't discuss cat facts without having a comprehensive look at the domestic cat breeds and this site covers all the main cat breeds and more, that is also what I would call the fringe breeds. There are well over 100 in all. The most popular of these breeds are the Siamese, Maine Coon, Bengal, Persian and Abyssinian. All the breeds can be accessed through the navigation bar links. And unlike nearly all other cat sites you'll get probably the best cat photography anywhere and plenty of it. That is why the site is called Pictures of Cats.

Cat Facts: Cat Appearance - Of course I discuss cat breed appearance extensively but there are some aspects of appearance that cut across cat breeds such as cat coats, head types and body shapes. All these interesting cat facts can be accessed from the home page of the main site here: Home Page.

Cat Facts: Cat Behavior - We see a lot on the internet about cat behavior, one of the most commonly seen cat facts. We see cat facts about aggressive cat behavior, example. And, you know, I have never had a problem with cat aggression. Yes, I have seen cat aggression but not as a problem. And there lies the problem with us. It is about the expectation of how a cat should behave. We sometimes expect and hope that our cat behaves in a way wholly suitable to us, like a very well trained husband or wife. We seek that perfect harmony brought about by one companion animal fitting in perfectly with our tastes but this will not happen. We need to remind ourselves that cats are near wild in character despite thousands of years of domestication. Their behavior will reflect that and if it doesn't it may well be because of something that we are doing to cause what we might see as inappropriate behavior. In short we need to accept our cats as they are and create an environment for them in which they can behave naturally (see Five Freedoms for Indoor Cats). Under these circumstances there will almost certainly be no cat behavioral problems.

Some cat breeds behave slightly differently to others. These are normally wild cat hybrids. The difference in behavior results from the close proximity of the wild genes of the ancestral cat. Take, for example, the ever present Bengal cat. Even the STD (stud book tradition - 4th generation) Bengal will have 12.5% wild cat genes and that translates to a slightly more intelligent, bold or inquisitive character, which in turn means more activity and more input from us (see King Tut the Bengal cat Goes for a Ride). This type of behavior is common for all the wild cat hybrids and the nearer the cat to the ancestral wild cat the more it is apparent. See these posts for example:

1. Bengal cat behavior
2. Helmi Flick on a Chausie
3. Wild cat hybrids (for the number of hybrids)

The typical domestic cat behavior for both purebred and mixed breed cats (if well socialized) should be loving, gentle, inquisitive and relaxed around people and other pets. Some domestic cats have evolved more than others away from the wild cat energized character. One example is the Persian or the Ragdoll, both very laid back cats and, as far as is possible, they are made for the artificial living of indoors, the ultimate form of domestication.

Cat Facts: Cat Health- This subject will always play a major role in respect of cat facts. But can and should people who are not vets get involved? Well, yes to a degree. These are the reasons why:

• Vets write books that instruct people to administer medical care, which is an admission that cat keepers can and should provide some kinds of primary care to a limit.
• Cat breeders commonly provide almost full veterinarian standard care to their cats despite being unqualified (formally).
• The experiences of laypeople, just ordinary cat keepers, can shed light on cat health problems where veterinarian's can fail sometimes
  
• Veterinarians are in business, they are not doctors (for people) and are not beholden to the same ethics. This can rarely result in bias and the ordinary person can counteract this sometimes.

Some diseases are far more common than others and there is a catalog of diseases that are routinely encountered. These can be seen here: Cat Health Problems. Do purebred cats have more cat health problems? Probably, yes. See Genetic Diseases in Purebred Cats. For example, I think that the Modern Siamese cat (lots more breeding development than the Traditional Siamese) is less healthy than the traditional cat of this breed. See Siamese Cat Health. The most common cat illness is Urinary Tract Infections followed by Gastritis. Diarrhea is ranked 5th most common. See the full top ten list: Most Common Cat Illnesses.

Cat Facts: Cat Size - There is an understandable fascination with cat size and this covers domestic cat, wild cat, individual cats and breed or species of cat. This makes it a bit tricky as some domestic cat breeds are wild cat hybrids and the first generation offspring of these hybrid cats are going to be the biggest domestic cat breed, if it is fair to include them. This is because generally (not all) small to medium sized wildcats are bigger than domestic cats and because of hybrid vigor. That said I have made two posts, one on the largest domestic cat breed and the other on the Worlds Biggest Cat. The largest domestic cat breed is the wild cat Serval when tamed but the largest "genuine" domestic cat breed is the F2 Savannah followed by the even more genuine Maine Coon. The largest individual cat is a Liger (Tiger/Lion hybrid) and the largest wild cat species is the Bengal tiger.


Cat Facts: Rare Cat Breeds - I guess it goes without saying that some breeds are rarer than others and I am talking about domestic cat breeds. Some cat breeds have been around and developed since the beginning of the cat fancy in the late 19th century and just beyond. These are well established and popular by and large. The classic examples are the Maine Coon, Siamese and Persian. These are not rare breeds. Other breeds have been "discovered" fairly recently and not really taken off, such as the rare Sokoke. Others have been around quite some considerable time and still not taken off such as the American Wirehair, still one of the rare cat breeds.

I have used a practical and novel way of establishing which breeds are rare and the analysis can be seen on this page: Rare Cat Breeds.

Cat Facts: the Wild Cats - My heart bleeds for the wild cats as it does for the feral cats, which are also wild. Despite the best efforts of many (CITES, IUCN Red List etc.) the wild cats from my perspective are declining in numbers year on year. There may be some isolated success stories but it will be against the trend as human population continues to rise rapidly. This can only mean one thing ultimately. A greater encroachment on the wild cat's range and habitat to the cat's detriment indeed ultimate demise. That is why all the wild cat posts and articles are focused on that most important of issues, conservation and preservation, without which there is little point in talking about appearance or behavior. See Wild Cats and Wild Cat Hybrids.

Cat Facts: The Rest -There is a veritable pile of cat facts in addition to the topics mentioned above from cartoon cats, to choosing a cat breed, the general development of the cat breeds, best videos, stupid videos, cats and the law, flickr groups on cat photography, and more. The best way to find it is to use the custom search facility on the home page of this blogger site or the main site - enjoy. Oh, one last and very important point. This site would not be possible without the contribution of Helmi Flick's fantastic cat photographs.

Cat Facts to Home Page

UK- punishment for killing a cat

The UK punishment for killing a cat can be 4 months in prison. It can actually be as long as 51 weeks in prison. This was the sentence handed down to a Scottish individual who killed a neighbor's cat by putting the cat in 3 plastic bags, sealing the bags and throwing the weighted bag into the Union Canal near Grangemouth, Scotland. He feared the cat would "infect" his wife. There are very few zootonic diseases so this was an unfounded fear born out of ignorance. His actions also demonstrate a lack of thought and morality. This was reported by the BBC News Scotland on 9th October 2008.

As I understand it the Scottish equivalent of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 is THE ANIMAL HEALTH AND WELFARE (SCOTLAND) ACT 2006. The Scottish have their own laws but Wales and Northern Ireland use the same laws as England.

It would seem that this person was prosecuted under the above Act. I have not been able to find a case report for this prosecution so can't check. Certainly the THE ANIMAL HEALTH AND WELFARE (SCOTLAND) ACT 2006 would suffice as under this act cats are an applicable animal and are protected.

Further the UK punishment for killing a cat can extend to imprisonment for not more than 51 weeks and a fine of £20,000 or both. If this act was used the crime was not killing the cat but causing unnecessary suffering. There is no concept of murder or lesser killing offence (e.g. manslaughter) in relation to animals.


UK punishment for killing a cat to Home page