Animal control officer violations and my cats are confiscated and taken to a shelter - help!

[sona]

Hi  All,    I need some help.   We have multiple cats in our household, some we adopted during a hurricane sandy, and also a batch of new kittens, which we were in process of finding good homes for, and had a few offers.    The other day, we were rudely awakened very early in the morning (after I worked a night shift and had only two hours sleep) by an animal control officer that said someone complained about  our cats.  (I believe the complaining person was a spay/neuter advocate/extremist who knew that not all our cats are spayed)   The animal officer was threatening, lied to us, manipulated us, would not tell us what the complaint was about or who made it, and coerced us to sign a document under duress letting them trap and take our cats to a shelter for spaying, and refusing to give them back, except possibly one or  two.    They took our kittens, which they promised not to, and they caused property damage and severely stressed our cats - it went on - and we are terrified we won't get our cats back.     We looked up our towns bylaws, and see no legal issues concerning us.    It feels like some weird political activist move to spay all cats at any expense without our permission, and then and confiscate our cats!   They told us they were a no-kill shelter, and later to find out there is a big article in the local paper telling how they killed a woman's cat there recently.  I am heartbroken and devastated, and think i need a lawyer fast, while my cats are still alive in the shelter.

Any advice, support, comfort, info very much appreciated.    Bless you all,    Sona.

 

[dandila]

This certainly sounds stressful for you and your cats.  I'm truly sorry you're going through this.  How many cats are we talking about?  Its a shame they would not tell you what was in the complaint so that you would have the opportunity to correct the problem.

I know that in our city we have a great organization that routinely does what is called targeted TNR.  They target areas where there are a large feral/stray populations to trap, neuter, and release the cats back where they found them.  They truly love cats and just want them to live the lives they've become used to without making more kittens.  The reason it is bad for feral and strays to breed is once the food source becomes inadequate for all of the cats they begin to have violent fights over the territory.  If food is plentiful, all is well.

So I take it that your cats are outdoor cats?  Were the kittens outdoors too?  Once a cat is off your property it is considered stray and animal control has the right to remove them.  That is the law in my city, anyway.  All outdoor pets need to be spayed or neutered.  There are too many unwanted behaviors if they are not.  Ideally, they should be microchipped.

I truly hope that you can reason with the shelter and get your cats back.  Please let us know how this progresses.  It is really fortunate that they consider the shelter no kill.  At least you can relax knowing they will find good homes if the shelter won't release all of them to you.

I would think they have to tell you what the issue is.  I am so sorry, you must be heartbroken.

 

[detmut]

where do you live?

 

[littlemanslegs]

[/hi I don't know where your from or how many cats you have but if you taken care of them and their fed well and if inside thier litter is clean and no serious health issue and up to date with shots I don't see how they can take your animals from you, you definitely need do what you can ASAP to get into the animal court talk to the judge and find the reason they were taken...I wish you well
God BlessB]

 

[nansiludie]

I don't undertand your post entirely. If they caused damage and forcibly took your cats. You should call the police and report it.

 

[sona]

Thanks for your reply -- the cats were originally outdoor abandoned kitties eating out of a dumpster that were facing danger in a hurricane with no where to go when we took them in, cared for them, fed them very well, loved them, had our naturopath check them out, etc.     We had not yet gotten them neutered, and they had kittens which we were in process of finding good homes for -- I have reason to believe a person who is extremist called in a complaint (they won't tell us who or the nature of a complaint) on us to get our kittens and cats put in a shelter and neutered.

We took excellent care of them, fed them healthy food, always fresh water and toys, climbing and scratching posts, plenty of play time and love,

brushed and groomed them, clean litter boxes, and we were in process of putting in a pet door and fence so they could be outdoors safely in a fenced area.

 

[sona]

Also,   they lied to us about the shelter being "no kill" -- they will kill any cat who is sick, stressed or misbehaves in this shelter - and the local paper has a recent article about a woman whose cat was killed in this shelter after two weeks of being there.   They told me the shelter was no-kill, and then i found the article the next day, and read the contracts that allow them to kill at their discretion.  It's horrible, and I am beyond heartbroken at the moment.   We want to find a lawyer this week.   Thanks for replying,   Sona

 

[dandila]

sona, you failed to answer a couple of my questions.  I'm trying to understand why you received a complaint on your cats.  Were they allowed to roam outdoors, un-neutered?  How many cats?

When you say that you suspect an "extremist", what do you mean, exactly?  Is it a person that hates cats?

As far as the shelter...they are trying to protect animals.  If your animal is sick and could infect all the other cats they are trying to save, I can understand their need to euthanize it.  I don't believe just because an animal is stressed or misbehaving that they will euthanize.  They have a lot of experience with misbehaving felines.  Are they feral or friendly cats?

 

[nansiludie]

I still don't understand what happened. I don't see how they could come in and take your cats unless there is a city ordanance or something you were in violation of.

 

[sona]

Hi,      It never should have happened --- from what I can understand, an anonymous person made a complaint about our cats (I believe it may have been an aquantaince who wanted our kitties neutered, which we were still in process of doing), and the animal control officer came and told us we would have to surrender all of our cats to them, or they  would put bad publicity about it in the newpapers and tell our landlord to evict us -- it was a blatant threat --- and that if we complied, no action would be taken.  And, that we would get back 3-4 of our cats, neutered, to keep from the shelter.    Well, none of that happened -- they took the kitties, our landlord was called (we did have more than the allotted number for our rental house but were in process of giving them away to good homes and seeking foster kitty care until we could purchase a home, which our landlord's property manager knew about, and even said he wanted a kitten or two from us)    I was told I could visit the kitties in the shelter, and now they have said we can't.

I know that animal control officers have done "raids" on unsuspecting excellent kitty pet owners and caregivers in order to take away their cats and sell them at shelters and other places.   In the shelter ours went to, they charge upward of $350.00 or $400.00 to buy

a kitty!!!!!    so I am afraid this is what happened and very upset!   They were extremely healthy kitties, loved and wellcared for - I am so sad and we have sought legal counsel to get them back.

Anyone else out there -- do not trust animal control officers -- I have read numerous stories of similar kind on the interenet where kitties, dogs, and birds are confiscated this way -- it's awful and I wish I had more support and places to turn to for help.    Thanks for reading and for your compassion,    sona

 

[sona]

P.S.   They were indoor kitties, well cared for, very healthy, clean litter boxes, but not yet neutered.  (young and some new kittens)  They wouldn't tell us who complained or why - so we are seeking legal counsel.    

 

[dandila]

Were they outside?  How many not yet neutered?  Were the kittens outside?

 

[Freedom]

They will not - ever - disclose who complained.  That is standard practice.

And you still have not answered several key questions.

 

[sona]

Hi,    I wonder why they will not disclose the nature of the complaint?     They were inside kitties, and not neutered yet - some kittens and still nursing.

Is there anywhere you can live and have multiple cats, and even a dog or two without being harrassed?     The laws here are not very pet friendly at all - I would like to get a farmhouse

and be able to have 3,4, or 5 kitties and a couple dogs.      sona

p.s. in some towns in this area, having 4 cats or more is called a "business" and you need a business license!   Never hear of this until recently, and know a friend who has 9 kitties, in great health and excellently cared for, and no one ever bothers her.  (She doesn't have a license for a "business")

 

[misterwhiskers]

Who owns/runs/funds this shelter? How many cats did they take?

 

[Norachan]

Hi Sona,

I don't know anything about the law in the US so I can't help you there. It seems to me that if these cats were healthy and well cared for and were being kept indoors as you say there was really no cause for complaint. Any agreement about the number of cats you were allowed to have in that rented property was between you and your landlord, no need for anyone else to get involved.

I've taken in stray cats as well and have waited until they were six months old or until any kittens were weaned before getting them spayed or neutered. The important thing is that they were going to be fixed as soon as possible and not allowed to keep having kittens.

I can understand why any complaints have to be kept anonymous. Things can escalate and arguments get out of control otherwise. All I can say is I hope you get some good legal advice and get some of your cats back. You say you were hoping to find homes for the kittens, so maybe having them fixed and then adopted out by the shelter isn't such a bad thing.

Good luck, hope you get your farmhouse out in the country one day.

 

[dandila]

Norachan, I agree that if they were inside cats, why would anyone else care, other than the landlord?  Neighbors, extremists, cat haters....as long as they were not bothering anyone with the annoying behaviors that sexually active cats can demonstrate,  it shouldn't come to their attention.  Let alone, a shelter who, I'm sure, has more serious violations to chase.  Something certainly doesn't add up here and if the OP is telling us all of the details, it looks as if his or her rights as a tax paying citizen are being trampled on.

Sona, please keep us updated because this is really an interesting case.

 

[Willowy]

Most muncipalities have limits on the number of pets you can have, and requirements about rabies vaccination. They CAN make you get rid of any excess animals, and make you vaccinate pets against rabies. If someone reports someone else for having too many/unvaccinated animals, they're well within their rights to investigate.

BUT, most people aren't fully aware of their rights. Such as, (in the US) law enforcement can never enter your home without a warrant or permission, unless they have good reason to feel someone is in immediate danger (screaming from a back room, etc.). They can't remove anything from your home without a warrant or permission. Animal control officers are frequently not even LE officers so they have even less power. Unfortunately, they're very good at wording things so that you feel like you don't have a choice, and end up giving permission without meaning to. Ex: "We need to come in and look at your house, OK?" "We're going to take your cats to the shelter now, OK?" Technically questions, but you're kind of tricked into saying "OK". One has to be very clear and very firm about saying NO to law enforcement when necessary. Unfortunately it's very easy to get flustered when dealing with authority figures :/.

Anyway, I hope the lawyer can straighten things out. They probably won't let you have more cats than the municipal limit, but maybe they'll let you re-home the others on your own terms. I hope the cats can get all the care they need, and everyone gets out of the shelter without a problem.

 

[detmut]

if any wants to look up their municipal code in the USA

https://www.municode.com/