Amazon driver charged with stealing a cat when she jumps in their van

The Fox 5 video tells the story very nicely. I comment briefly below the video.

Cobb County, GA: The driver, Kearston Griggs, has be charged with theft and animal cruelty. Is it theft? It looks like it to me as the driver intended to permanently deprive the owners of their cat by enticing the cat aboard her van and driving off. She had numerous occasions when she could have returned the cat if she had changed her mind although Amazon drivers are under huge time pressure.

But she just dumped the cat in a very dangerous place where there was a lot of traffic and high-speed traffic so it is no surprise Addy was killed by a vehicle.

The case is bizarre and there is a weakness in the charge of theft. I doubt that the driver had the intent to steal Addy. It was all too casual. She abandoned Addy eventually. That indicates that she did not intend at the outset to keep the cat for herself. And she did not want to kill the cat. The cat's death was due to the driver's carelessness but it was not a deliberate act to kill Addy.

But she took Addy 30 miles away before abandoning the cat. That's probably certain enough to deprive the owners of their cat permanently which would have to be proved under the charge of theft in court.

Although, she may get off on the theft charge. But she is in breach of animal welfare laws by abandoning the cat. In some states that would be a crime in itself.

My immediate research tells me that it is a crime to abandon an animal in Georgia. Here is the relevant law:

4-11-15.1. Unlawful to abandon domestic animal

Notwithstanding the provisions of Code Section 4-11-13, it shall be unlawful for any person knowingly and intentionally to abandon any domesticated animal upon any public or private property or public right of way. This Code section shall not be construed as amending or otherwise affecting the provisions of Chapter 3 of this title, relating to livestock running at large or straying.

She could be charged with animal abandonment. At the moment that has not happened as far as I know. This may be the more certain charge in fact.

Amazon driver charged with theft of a domestic cat when the cat jumps in their van

Unsterilised male cats produce more sperm during July to December (Brisbane)

It probably will not surprise you to know that unsterilised tomcats produce more sperm during the mating season which is spring and summer. A study - believed to have been conducted in Brisbane, Australia - found that tomcats produce more sperm during the months of July and December for Brisbane. Clearly the season depends on where the cats live! For Brisbane spring is September to November.

Masculine-looking tomcat with jowly cheeks. Image: Pixabay.

The scientist who conducted this experiment used electroejaculation methods which I presume means using electricity to stimulate a male cat to ejaculate sperm.

It sounds pretty upsetting to be honest but the scientists who conducted the experiment said that it did not cause any harm or discomfort.

It seems that the purpose of the study was to see whether it is possible to provide information to cat breeders about those peak moments when their male stud cat is producing more sperm than normal and which would probably enhance the breeding process.

I don't know for sure whether a breeder would find this kind of study useful. They might not because they may know instinctively when their stud cat is more fertile and more able to produce offspring. Perhaps there is no problem whatsoever in a male stud cat producing offspring but a breeder will tell you.

My report here is based upon the summary of a study carried out by I. Johnstone entitled: "Electroejaculation in the domestic cat".

The scientist, found that there was a great deal of variation between "collections from the same cat indicating the necessity for at least five collections when assessing the fertility of a tomcat."

They found that "sperm counts were higher in the latter half of the year, at the time of increased sexual activity for cats in the Brisbane area."

They say that the "results have indicated that semen volume tends to increase from July to December, thus indicating increased accessory gland activity during the breeding season."

Woman ran Chicago marathon (3:31) and rescued and rehomed a kitten at the same time!

This is a great little story on Facebook. A Boston resident, Sarah Bohan, was a participant in Chicago's marathon. She was running the charity for PAWS Chicago. This is one of the largest no-kill animal welfare organisations in America. There were 482 runners on the team running for PAWS. A wonderful effort.

Sarah Bohan rescues stray kitten during Chicago marathon. Image: FB.

That would have been great by itself but Sarah went a lot further. She was on a personal best time when she noticed a scared and dirty kitten under a bridge at the 21-mile mark. She was not that far from the finish line really.

This is what she said.

"I saw this white fluffy thing scurrying under a bridge and recognized it as a dirty, scared cat that was obviously a stray separated from its mother. At that point, my personal record was out the window and I knew what I had to do."

She rescued the kitten and then walked for about a mile asking spectators if they would take the kitten that she'd rescued and rehome her. She found a woman who is a cat caregiver who promised her that she would rehome the kitten. Or perhaps she's taken the kitten in. The picture above shows the moment of handover.

Then Sarah continued her race and finished in an impressive 3:31:35, which is a good time.

Sarah did an amazing job. The only question I have is that we have to hope that the woman who took the kitten is the right one meaning she is genuine and will do a good job in either looking after the kitten or rehoming her. She looks genuine to me. Well done, Sarah.

The kitten has a Turkish Van coat for anyone who's interested. A very Mediterranean appearance.

Here is the Facebook post:

Teenage girl killed on motorway trying to rescue a cat in Brazil

Jaciannny Maria da Silva. Image: Mirror.co.uk.

A 17-year-old girl, Jaciannny Maria da Silva, tried to rescue a cat lying on the BR-423 highway, in Jupi, north-eastern Brazil and was hit by a car and killed. The story continues below the map showing the location of this motorway.

The girl was waiting for a school bus last Monday morning. Her name was Jaciannny Maria da Silva. News media tells me that the cat was lying on the road which is a motorway. That would imply that the cat had already been hit by the way but I don't know. The girl decided to go onto the motorway to remove the cat from it. As she crossed the road, she was hit by a Fiat Argo. I don't know the make and model. She was taken to a hospital suffering from multiple traumatic injuries and died shortly afterwards. The cat driver was breathalysed and passed the test.

Of course, the family are devastated. Her schools said in a statement: "it is with deep sorrow that we mourn the loss of our dear student Jacianny Maria da Silva, who passed away this morning, leaving a huge void in our hearts. Our sincere condolences to her family and friends during this difficult time. May they find comfort in the memories and the love she left as a legacy."

Jupi Municipality said: "We deeply regret the passing of Jacianny Maria da Silva, a victim of a tragic accident that occurred this Monday morning, 9 October 2023. The Municipality of Jupi, through Mayor Ant nio Marcos Patriota, expresses solidarity with her entire family and we ask the merciful God to welcome Jacianny into the eternal abode."

RELATED: Thankful kitten rescued from highway by police officer sets off siren on way to station (video).

Comment: I have read of people going onto the motorway before in America to rescue kittens which begs the question by the way how the kitten got onto the motorway in the first place. It is probably because somebody threw the kitten out of a car window as they drove down the motorway.

Professional rescuers can rescue cats and kittens from motorways because they are aware of the dangers. But I guess sometimes people misjudge the speed of the cars and they are so desperate to get the cat that they become careless.

I can recall another instance of a couple rescuing a cat when they were both hit and killed. That occurred in America as I recall.

I don't have a photo of the girl

Duvet cover tells cat where to sleep

Duvet cover tells cat where to sleep. Shame they can't read English. Image: FB.

I like this duvet cover. Cool idea and it looks good. Shame cats can't read English. The duvet does tell a big story of cat intrusions on the bed. They do tend to hog it and sometimes interfere with sleep. You could write a book about cats in the bedroom.

There is the ever-present question of whether to let your cat come into the bedroom at night or whether you keep them out of the bedroom at night. A lot of people keep their cat out of the bedroom at night but I think it is a bad idea. So does Jackson Galaxy the American cat behaviourist. The bedroom is a great place for a cat but, I admit, it isn't so great for the person using the bed at night.

But cats just love to be with their owner on the bed at night. You are going to tell me now that your cat doesn't like to sleep on your bed with you which is fair enough but most cats do like to do it.

And then you've got a hold another chapter to write in this book about how cats wake their owners up at four in the morning because they want their breakfast. That's about domestic cats being crepuscular. Everybody knows that now. I think when you have a domestic cat you can expect to have your sleep broken sometimes at least. But it's a great trade-off. It's worth it. All cat owners would more or less say that.

You know what Jackson says is the best compromise about allowing your cat into the bedroom? It's to make a little bed for your cat in the corner of the room and that bed contains smelly items from you and your cat so they feel very comfortable sleeping on it. Because cats are attracted to the bedroom by the smell as in the words of Jackson, the bedroom has a "scent soaker". He means that it is soaked in the body odour of their owner. Yes, it doesn't sound great to humans but it is wonderful to cats.