Shelter Files Lawsuit On Cat Owner For Letting Adopted Cat Out On A Leash

[Max's Human]

WILLOWY
I So agree with you! Before the end of relationship between adopter and adoptee is dissolved I think weighing kitty finding a home that exercises the kitty needs to be weighed against going back to a shelter, hoping for a happy ending!! And possibly end up destroyed over this, very, very sad!!!

 

[Willowy]

And possibly end up destroyed over this, very, very sad!!!

I really don't think the cat sanctuary is going to kill him! No kill shelter would try to take a cat back for that kind of reason.

 

[Kflowers]

I wonder if theno leash walks was put in due to the number of small dogs snatched by coyotes and larger dogs when they are out for walks. I've walked a cat on a leash twice. It wasn't inside an apartment hallway, which is one thing, but outside. It's a slow walk. On the second walk, the cat got spooked by who knows waht and took off running. She was much faster than me and strained against the harness and eventually went through a holly bush. There was no way around, I had to follow her. We did not do that again.

However, I'm thinking it's possible that Muse sustained injuries that left his skin weak. That would mean that straining against a harness might be more dangerous for him than for other cats.

 

[jcat]

The only issue I have is that she said she "him out with his collar and leash." Does this mean the leash was hooked to the collar, not a harness? A collar isn't secure and the cat could have totally escaped. I would understand it more if the sanctuary said they would take Muse away if the owner didn't get a proper harness or something.

Not only that, but vaccinations differ according to whether the cat is kept strictly indoors or goes outdoors even under supervision.

Our last cat was leash and harnessed trained. Because he was going outdoors with me and was occasionally exposed to other cats and rodents, he was vaccinated as if he were an indoor-outdoor cat, e.g., against rabies and FeLV. As much as I'd love to take Mowgli outside to enjoy nature, his health precludes the full round of "outdoor" inoculations, so his "communing with nature" is restricted to a secured balcony.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

I didn't think about vaccinations, that's a good point, jcat .

I was more thinking about the unpredictable things that can happen outside when cats are on leashes, and things like how once you start on that leash-walking pattern, you usually have to start dealing with the logistics of a cat that becomes a door darter whenever they are near a door leading to outside. A cat is going to stretch the limits when they can, and probably explore territory. Losing a cat or having a cat meet up with an accident can happen to the best intentioned people.

 

[Wile]

This seems like a frivolous lawsuit against an owner who cares a lot about their cat. I'm glad to hear it was dismissed.

jcat and PushPurrCatPaws - some people might accuse me of doing too much to my cats, but both my strictly indoor and leash trained indoor/outdoor cat are vaccinated for everything in my area that outdoor cats get. I've had bats fly in and once had a racoon break into my house while they were there. Mowgli's obviously a special case, but even indoor cats can be exposed to things accidentally.

 

[FelisCatus]

Any updates on this case? It's been almost 2 months.

 

[jcat]

Any updates on this case? It's been almost 2 months.

An update to the case of the Salem woman who took her cat outside

Howard spent $3,000 on a lawyer in her fight to keep the blue-eyed, half-Siamese she adopted last year. She won a preliminary round in court on a technicality, but Kawcyznski held out the possibility of continuing the legal battle. But now her lawyer says that Kawcyznski agrees Howard is a loving owner and can keep her beloved cat.

 

[FelisCatus]

The ending is great to hear... but $3k.... damn. After spending that much on just a legal battle, she better be deemed a loving owner.

Thanks for finding the update .

 

[LTS3]

An update from last month:

An update to the case of the Salem woman who took her cat outside - The Boston Globe

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

I never cease to be amazed at the things people will post on Facebook. She should abide by the contract she signed. However, I hope she doesn't get in more trouble and she can keep her cat.

 

[Norachan]

I'm glad she can keep her cat, but a contract is a contract. She can't pick and choose which parts of it she abides by.