Letter: Menace of kittens reach crisis level

Letter: Menace of kittens reach crisis level

Louis C Wise
Saint Augustine, FL

Our city, like many others has a problem with crime. We are blessed that our struggles aren’t as bad as our neighbors. Our murder rate is lower than Jacksonville and we have fewer meth labs than Clay County. No, we are not puurfect, we have our fair share of drunk drivers, child molesters, rapists, burglars, and drug dealers.

Thankfully our city police and deputy sheriffs do an amazing job at stopping, arresting, and prosecuting these people. This does not come cheap, which all of us taxpayers know. Unfortunately though, our law enforcement officers have turned a blind eye to one of the most malevolent of menaces that threatens every citizen in our downtown area. They have ignored … kittens.

Yes, I said kittens (you know, baby cats). Those cute, little, vicious animals that hide in the shadows, just waiting to strike! I can’t tell you the number of times that I have had to cross to the other side of the street because I was scared by one of these small devils.

I bring this up because, a few weeks ago, a woman tried to move a kitten from underneath her car. The horribly vicious kitten scratched her. A neighbor’s 9-year-old granddaughter reportedly named one of the stray kittens, so the woman forced open the neighbor’s porch door and placed the kitten inside.

The woman goes to the Emergency Room where she learns that St. Johns County Animal Control must be notified. Animal Control was called. A live person took the call, not the familiar answering machine. After a visit from an Animal Control Officer, armed with a gun, the officer left the hospital in pursuit of the kitten. The suspect kitten was found on the same porch where the victim had placed it. The porch belongs to a 71-year-old, war veteran. Was the perp seeking shelter? Was the American hero covering for the dangerous kitten criminal? Or, was it stuck there because some woman placed it in a fully enclosed porch and closed the door? Who knows? But the old man was cited for harboring a kitten fugitive.

The old man, who we will call Mr. M (due to ongoing legal issues), suffers from dementia and the early stages of Alzheimer’s. He signed the citation handed to him by Animal Control because of two reasons. One, he has dementia; and two, there was an armed animal control officer on his doorstep, who told him if he owns the house … he HAS to sign the ticket, unaware that he was admitting to guilt.

This horrible human being, who is living in a house in Lincolnville where feral cats decided to reside, was summoned to court to defend himself against harboring a fugitive kitten.

Mr. M failed to show up in court (remember he has dementia) which has prompted St. Johns County Animal Control to send out a process server task force. A bunch of people canvassing the neighborhood and stopping everyone who walks by to see if they know the 71-year-old man. It has also forced the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office to search for this evil man.

Hopefully you have started to see my sarcasm. I wish this was intended to be a humorous letter; but, unfortunately it is true.

Those of us who live downtown know that it is not difficult to find feral cats. Most of us ignore them because they are cats — or, in this case, kittens. They do not pose a huge threat to me, or my children. If someone else decides to torment a cat, which is about the only way a cat would attack you, and the cat decides to run onto your property to escape, does that make you a criminal? Will you have to pay a fine or go to court because a cat, or an evil kitten, runs onto or under your porch?

Each time one of these ungodly predators walk onto our property, we need to make St. Johns County Animal Control aware, lest we fall victim to the same treatment. (Start of sarcasm)Call Animal Control at 904-209-6190 every time an untethered, dangerous kitten is spotted on someone’s property — either in it, on it, or under it, knowingly or unknowingly.(End of sarcasm) Why do we waste our resources over a kitten? Why don’t we let our law enforcement officers go after real criminals? I will gladly pay for a dragnet to catch a crack dealer verses a man who harbors kittens.