# Humane officer shoots cats at woman's home



## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

Outrage Grows After Ohio Humane Officer Shoots and Kills 5 Kittens | Life With Cats

Outrage and controversy are growing after an incident at the home of a North Ridgeville, Ohio resident yesterday. The resident contacted the police at Facebook, asking for help with a family of feral cats living in her woodpile that she said were bringing fleas and foul odors to her home and property, and leaving the carcasses of small prey in the yard.
One of the community’s two humane officers, a former long-time member of the police force, was quickly dispatched to the scene, and after letting the woman know the kittens would be killed in response to her complaint, took out his gun and shot them dead.
The woman says she understood the kittens would be “euthanaized” but did not espect them to be killed in such a brutal manner at the scene, with her children inside nearby.
The police department is standing behind Humane Officer Barry Accorti, and Chief Michael Freeman says there will be no disciplinary action taken against him. Chief Freeman said, “I have decided his actions were appropriate and have decided not to impose any disciplinary measures,” but added that the department will speak with its humane officers “about improving their communications with the public.”


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I can completely understand the kittens needing to be euthanized. But to shoot them in the woman's yard, just feet from where her children sat inside the house?

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## mandiah89 (Jan 18, 2013)

if they were kittens why would they need to be killed at all? Wouldnt they stand a decent chance of becoming family pets? that is brutal


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

There are way too many cats in Ohio shelters. I am not surprised they chose to kill them, especially if the kittens are already hunting. 

But, there are live traps. They did not need to go and kill them with a gun at the woman's home. 

Frankly, shooting them was probably just as quick and painless as the purple juice, but one should not call a _humane_ officer for an animal complaint, only to have the creatures killed in front of them. 

I have never held the position, but I will go so far as to hold the opinion that it could have been handled better.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

with the vast numbers of cats already in shelters, the chance of rehabbing and socializing feral kittens is somewhere between slim and none at all. Depending on their age, it can be next to impossible for them to live in a human household.
So, in many places, they euthanize the cats.

I can understand that philosophy. But to just pull out a gun and shoot them in the yard seems a bit overkill. They weren't an immediate threat so trapping them would have been a possibility


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

yeah, I can even empathize with shooting the cats IF NECESSARY. However, I don't see it as a first option. Especially in someone's backyard.


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## Msmaria (Mar 2, 2013)

Wow...and I thought Calif was bad. There's a reason why they are called humane officers. His actions were not humane in the least bit. He needs to find another job that suits him better. I guess all those years as an officer shooting at fellow human beings, cats mean even less to him.


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## wyominggrandma (Jan 2, 2011)

Remember that feral colonies are BIG carriers of rabies.... I don't think I would want to try to catch feral cats that might possibly be carrying rabies. 
Not sure how else it could have been handled if they were truly feral, trying to catch them or live trap them probably would not have worked, someone was liable to be bitten.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Ohio is actually good at something. We have feral cat spay and release programs, and they manage to catch them, spay them, notch their ears and release them. I don't know how they manage it without being bitten though. I guess somewhere between the live traps, and, I don't know, maybe a can of tuna fish.

I am a few counties over from N. Ridgeville. Usually each year we have a skunk or raccoon or squirrel found with rabies. Usually nothing epidemic. We do put forth rabies bait for raccoons. And my guess is they probably give rabies injections to the spay/release ferals.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Completely uncalled for, maybe they should shoot the people that keep getting cats that don't fix them, then let them outside I've only had 1 feral cat out of about 10 that didn't do well. Even that one was okay in the house, but never socialized with people. They all seem to really like dogs though. Presently I have two ferals in my house. Oddly the one that was younger when it was brought in is not as friendly as the one that was older. The older one sleeps with me every night and gives me kisses. She was part of a TNR, ear tip cut and all. She is probably my best cat.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Since when do Humane Officer's have guns?


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## arycrest (Feb 28, 2006)

I'd be upset too if that happened to me. I can understand euthanizing ferals if the shelter is full of adoptable cats/kittens, but to shoot them sounds rather extreme to me. 

But who knows, maybe it's easier on the little creatures to be shot than it would be to endure being captured, crated, driven to a strange place, handled by strange people only to be put down ... IMHO that would be terrifying to a feral kitten. We had a big problem with feral cats here until one of the neighbors trapped them and took them to the shelter. There are a lot of farms here and it's my understanding ferals have a chance of being adopted as barn cats ... don't know if that's true or not but I like to think it is.


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## BellaLuna (Jan 27, 2013)

So sickening, there had to be a better way, and I'm with Jax08 when did they start carrying ? 

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## Merciel (Apr 25, 2013)

Jax08 said:


> Since when do Humane Officer's have guns?


This isn't uncommon in rural areas. I know sometimes animal control officers out around where my parents live in Alabama will carry guns in their trucks to dispatch badly wounded deer from car collisions and so forth. They have a lot of road-injured deer around there, and dispatching them on the spot is kinder than carrying a large, panicked, mortally wounded wild animal back to a vet to be euthanized.

I don't know if that is applicable to the community in this news story, though, as I'm not familiar with that area at all.


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## wyominggrandma (Jan 2, 2011)

Even in Wyoming, if you are animal control or humane officer, you have to be able to pass a check for guns and carry one, usually a pistol.......
. I assume other states are the same. Probably one reason is how many reports are we seeing about humans telling their dogs to attack officers if they come to pick them up for whatever reason, or having to shoot dogs attacking a human or putting an animal for whatever reason out of its misery. 
Hope the background checks are good ones.


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## Syaoransbear (Sep 25, 2008)

I really can't imagine this guy is a good enough shot to painlessly kill all those kittens, so this seems pretty cruel to me.


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## JackandMattie (Feb 4, 2013)

Since when did death by shooting become inhumane?


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## Merciel (Apr 25, 2013)

JackandMattie said:


> Since when did death by shooting become inhumane?


It's not the method of dispatch that's at issue here (for me) so much as doing it right in front of a bunch of kids who thought you were going to help the kittens.


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## sitstay (Jan 20, 2003)

Dead is dead. Does it really matter if it was by injection or gun shot? Is the complaint more about the fact the euthanizing was up close and personal, and not hidden behind closed doors? Now she can't tell her children that the nice man is going to take the kittens and find them good homes?

As long as the shots were good, and the kittens didn't suffer, it is what it is.
Sheilah


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## Merciel (Apr 25, 2013)

sit said:


> Dead is dead. Does it really matter if it was by injection or gun shot? Is the complaint more about the fact the euthanizing was up close and personal, and not hidden behind closed doors? Now she can't tell her children that the nice man is going to take the kittens and find them good homes?


Well, yeah, it kinda does.

I think a homeowner has a right to be upset if gunshots are fired in their yard. Ricochets happen. Accidents happen. They certainly don't happen _often_ but I'm not going to say it's an unreasonable concern. Euthanizing the kittens via lethal injection at the shelter would have been safer.

I also think a parent has a right to be upset if somebody shoots fuzzy little baby animals in front of their kids, particularly if there's an expectation that the animals are going to be helped, not summarily put down. The unpleasant reality of the world is that kittens _do_ get put down all the time, and it's not always possible for parents to shelter their children from that reality -- but, again, I'm not going to say it's unreasonable for them to be upset at having their kids' faces shoved in it so abruptly. Especially, again, when there was a reasonable expectation that something very different was going to happen, and she didn't even have a chance to tell the kids to look away. That's one heck of a nasty surprise.

And, finally, having that happen so unexpectedly foreclosed the possibility that the homeowner could have done anything different. If she had _known_ the kittens were going to be put down (and put down so brusquely), maybe she would have chosen to adopt them. Maybe she would have tried to rehabilitate and rehome them herself. Maybe she would have reached out to a rescue. We don't know, and we never will, because the family didn't get the chance.


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## JackandMattie (Feb 4, 2013)

Yeah, I guess the issue was that the kids could hear it inside the house.

Idk, when I was a little girl, these things were a matter of course. But we were pretty poor, and pretty country. Animals died. Cattle went to slaughter. Chickens went in the stewpot. A dog with a real bad case of mange would get a bullet. The barn cats when there were too many, well, the kittens went in a sack in a bucket of water. Now, _that_ was probably inhumane. And today, I would definitely treat the mange. Not saying that was all right and proper, but it was realistic in my great grandparents' home.

Death is natural and it's too bad our children are so artificially protected from it today. There aren't enough homes for all the feral cats, domesticated cats, and stray and abandoned dogs in the world. That's the sadder truth, and something children could actually benefit from knowing.


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## TommyB681 (Oct 19, 2012)

humane officers that carry guns and shoot kittens. Pretty strange set of circumstances in this story


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

JackandMattie said:


> Yeah, I guess the issue was that the kids could hear it inside the house.
> 
> Idk, when I was a little girl, these things were a matter of course. But we were pretty poor, and pretty country. Animals died. Cattle went to slaughter. Chickens went in the stewpot. A dog with a real bad case of mange would get a bullet. The barn cats when there were too many, well, the kittens went in a sack in a bucket of water. Now, _that_ was probably inhumane. And today, I would definitely treat the mange. Not saying that was all right and proper, but it was realistic in my great grandparents' home.
> 
> Death is natural and it's too bad our children are so artificially protected from it today. There aren't enough homes for all the feral cats, domesticated cats, and stray and abandoned dogs in the world. That's the sadder truth, and something children could actually benefit from knowing.


I suppose you could say that about anything. Sex, for instance is a fact of life, maybe children would be better off learning all about it regardless of their age and maturity level. But maybe that is different somehow than shooting kittens in front of children whose ages I don't know.

When kids grow up on farms, they are exposed to animals procreating and animals being slaughtered for the pot. Such a child at age five would not bat an eye at the feral kittens being shot, where another child who does not live on a farm might really have issues with it though he or she may be twice the age of the farm kid. 

My niece would get quiet and say, "how rude." As she did when I showed her Robin Hood the first time. She was four or five, and has colonies of deer outside her back yard. The idea that Much the Miller's son might shoot and eat one of those critters was repulsive to her. The whole movie she felt that the good guys were the bad guys.

Being civilized, there are some individuals who live in cities who pay taxes and purchase those things they no longer grow or sew or build or birth. They are supporting an agency whose function is to manage critters that are either in danger or being a nuisance. They have watched Animal Cops on TV where the AC Officers move mountains to rescue a kitten in a drain pipe, or tape alligators mouths shut to remove them, either for relocation or disposal. 

I think it is pretty fair to believe that a group of feral kittens would be trapped and removed from the yard, rather than shot right there. 

Parents know whether their kids are likely to manage such a situation well or not. The AC officer should not take it upon himself to educate the neighborhood as to what and how feral kittens will be treated if brought to his attention. 

I really have a hard time seeing how anyone can be arguing on the other side of this one. Oh yeah, that AC officer was an off-duty or retired (can't remember which) LEO. He MUST be perfectly right in whatever he did. And the department is standing behind him, don't they always?


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

JackandMattie said:


> Death is natural and it's too bad our children are so artificially protected from it today. There aren't enough homes for all the feral cats, domesticated cats, and stray and abandoned dogs in the world. That's the sadder truth, and something children could actually benefit from knowing.


 
See we grew up in a city/suburb like setting. When my son was 2, the german shepherd across the street decided not to let the mailman on the porch. The police were called and that cop was going to shoot that dog. I was horrified and I put up a heck of a stink. I didn't want to see it and I sure didn't want my son to see it. That dog ended up safely in the yard and the mailman climbed off the pole on the porch safely. If I want to teach my son about death, it will be on my terms. Killing all the homeless animals is not the answer...they did not ask to be here.


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## JackandMattie (Feb 4, 2013)

I hear you selzer and llombardo. Good points. It's definitely cultural. Where I live, grandpa was bragging last season about his 4-year old grandson taking down his first 8-point buck with a crossbow, Rick Jr got his first .22 for his seventh birthday, and the kids check their trot lines on a daily basis. Nobody is crying over Bambi, and nobody is going to get their panties in a twist over some feral kittens.

Crazy...I've lived in the country, I've lived in Dallas, and all points in between. Texas, Alabama, Oklahoma, California, Ohio, England, Switzerland, Bahrain, and South Africa...from the trailer park to a four-story villa...and I still end up going back to my roots for my values. Out of everywhere I have lived, Great Grandma Ruby's made the most sense to me.

Appreciate the conversation


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

too me, no matter how used I am to death and my children know what goes on with animals being euthanized, I wouldn't expect someone to shoot a litter of kittens in my front yard.
THAT is what I have a problem with. I don't expect ANYONE to discharge a gun in my yard without telling me beforehand. If AC comes to catch a dog/cat and says it will be "euthanized" I, again, don't expect them to pull out a gun and shoot them right there. An aggressive animal? Sure.

And the rabies idea doesn't really fly either. If you suspect that the kittens might have rabies, you aren't going to be taking apart the wood pile by yourself to get to them. 1) a huge chance of getting bitten and 2) a big chance of one of the kittens getting away.


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## sitstay (Jan 20, 2003)

Merciel said:


> Well, yeah, it kinda does.
> 
> I think a homeowner has a right to be upset if gunshots are fired in their yard. Ricochets happen. Accidents happen. They certainly don't happen _often_ but I'm not going to say it's an unreasonable concern. Euthanizing the kittens via lethal injection at the shelter would have been safer.
> 
> ...


You are assuming that "being helped" some how excludes being summarily being put down. The truth is that most communities are over run with kittens and cats. It is an overwhelming problem and in many shelters healthy, social kittens are euthanized without every being removed from the boxes they come in. That is the reality of the pet over population problem. If you look at the typical life of a feral cat, being summarily euthanized is helping them avoid a pretty bleak fate. 

The article says that the woman called animal control herself and asked for them to be removed. She was feeding them, the picture included in the article shows kittens identified as those that were killed, eating from paper plate. If she had wanted to socialize them and adopt them herself, I think she had ample opportunity to do just that before calling animal control. She did not want them on her property any more. She called animal control and told them to deal with it. So they did. 

Another article shows a wood pile, with a little blood on one log. It doesn't look like there was a slaughter. Catching feral cats/kittens can be very difficult and dangerous. In a perfect world every animal would be born with a loving home waiting for them. We are not there. This is not a perfect world. Maybe some of the angry Facebook people will put their money where their outrage is and step up to foster kittens for their local shelters. Or donate to the TNR program (or start one in their community if they don't already have one).

Look, it stinks that this happened. But rather than pin the blame only on the donkey that is the animal control guy, put that blame where it ultimately belongs: a society that is okay with abdicating responsibility for their animals, with the end result being millions of animals being summarily put down every year. That is the ultimate boogie man here. And that is the discussion that should be happening.
Sheilah


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## sitstay (Jan 20, 2003)

Dainerra said:


> And the rabies idea doesn't really fly either. If you suspect that the kittens might have rabies, you aren't going to be taking apart the wood pile by yourself to get to them. 1) a huge chance of getting bitten and 2) a big chance of one of the kittens getting away.


The picture of the wood pile does not look like it was taken apart at all.
Sheilah


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Feral cats are, well, feral. They are not always someone's domestic cat that they got tired of and put outside. There have probably been generations between these kittens and domesticity. So blaming this woman and her kids for the issue is out of line.

If this was a black bear, the Animal Control guy would not have come and shot it. He would have captured it and released it in PA where they hunt them. If he did shoot a black bear, he would have been in serious trouble. 

Dogs and cats are animals that children relate to as pets. They feel for raccoons and deer and turtles and such, but they FEEL for puppies and kitties. 

Let's change it up. Let's say there was a stray bitch that had a litter of puppies up under this lady's porch. She called Animal Control, and he came, and shot her and then each of the puppies while the lady's children were inside horrified. There are too many dogs in shelters too, and it is no place for young puppies. Owner turn-ins are often euthanized before people leave the parking lot. Would that make it ok for the AC person to shoot the puppies there in her back yard?


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

In his statement he says that he started unstacking the woodpile to get to the kittens.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Why don't we say it like it is, the AC officers was LAZY. It was easier to shoot the kittens than it was to catch them and take them away with them, to the shelter where they could have been evaluated or euthanized in whatever manner that would be most likely not to cause pain and trauma. 

The thing is, if the kittens were old enough to hunt, why would feral kittens stick around while he was shooting away. They tend to be very fast and will run and hide and try to get away. 

If they were just sitting ducks, then they were probably young enough to be adopted out. 

Either way, the thing to do was to catch the kittens and get them out of there. It could have been handled much better.


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## Merciel (Apr 25, 2013)

sit said:


> You are assuming that "being helped" some how excludes being summarily being put down.


No, I'm not. I've been in rescue for years. I know how dismal it is.

Or maybe I _am,_ actually, because I too would be shocked if I called animal control and the responding officer just shot a bunch of kittens right in front of me. That would be a criminal offense in Philadelphia.

In any case, the woman who called AC, like a lot of members of the general public, apparently thought that cute fluffy kittens who had been semi-socialized to people (because she was feeding them) might at least get a _chance_ at being adopted.

Obviously she cared about them at least a little. She was putting food out for them. People don't do that if they absolutely don't care.

If the AC officer is taking heat for this, IMO it's well deserved. What he did was reckless and thoughtless and offensive.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

The fact that he used a gun does not mean for certain that he was reckless, but thoughtless and insensitive, sure.


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## Merciel (Apr 25, 2013)

Yeah, that's fair. It could have been reckless but we don't know that for sure. Consider me corrected.


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## Syaoransbear (Sep 25, 2008)

I'm not sure the kids are really learning about death. They are probably learning that you should never ask an authority figure for help.


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

Merciel said:


> No, I'm not. I've been in rescue for years. I know how dismal it is.
> 
> Or maybe I _am,_ actually, because I too would be shocked if I called animal control and the responding officer just shot a bunch of kittens right in front of me. That would be a criminal offense in Philadelphia.
> 
> ...


"One of the community’s two humane officers, a former long-time member of the police force, was quickly dispatched to the scene, and *after letting the woman know the kittens would be killed in response to her complaint,* took out his gun and shot them dead.
*The woman says she understood the kittens would be “euthanaized” *but did not espect them to be killed in such a brutal manner at the scene, with her children inside nearby."

I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with anything. Just wanted to point out that in the original post it seemed clear that the woman knew the kittens would be killed. Not killed the way she expected, of course, but killed nonetheless.


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## Betty (Aug 11, 2002)

I feel terrible that the kittens were shot and hope that it went quickly for them.

But your know part of me keeps going back to she knew the kittens were going to be euthanized, which lets be honest is a nice way of saying killed.

I have no sympathy for her, that she witnessed the execution she ordered. 

Sympathy for the cats? Yes. For the woman? No.


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## pets4life (Feb 22, 2011)

i wish i didnt click the link the picture of the baby cats eating was too hard to look at

Its probably better for people to just go to the person officer who did it and talk about how they feel about the situation


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

Saved me a lot of typing. 

BTW- remember the man who shot two dogs that were on *his* property because he had livestock? We were pretty much on the same page with that story too.

At first he was* not* charged but AFTER the community kicked up a fuss he was charged with discharging a weapon in line of sight occupied buildings (reckless). 

This guy gets a pass?

I hope he at least cleaned up the bloodied remains of the kittens.







selzer said:


> I suppose you could say that about anything. Sex, for instance is a fact of life, maybe children would be better off learning all about it regardless of their age and maturity level. But maybe that is different somehow than shooting kittens in front of children whose ages I don't know.
> 
> When kids grow up on farms, they are exposed to animals procreating and animals being slaughtered for the pot. Such a child at age five would not bat an eye at the feral kittens being shot, where another child who does not live on a farm might really have issues with it though he or she may be twice the age of the farm kid.
> 
> ...


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

So you're saying that what he did was not a really humane way to kill the kittens (ref: blue below) and therefore would put him in the wrong....but the woman in essence got what she deserved because *her* expectations of Animal Control were wrong?




Betty said:


> I feel terrible that the kittens were shot and hope that it went quickly for them.
> 
> But your know part of me keeps going back to she knew the kittens were going to be euthanized, which lets be honest is a nice way of saying killed.
> 
> ...


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## Merciel (Apr 25, 2013)

Stevenzachsmom said:


> "One of the community’s two humane officers, a former long-time member of the police force, was quickly dispatched to the scene, and *after letting the woman know the kittens would be killed in response to her complaint,* took out his gun and shot them dead.
> *The woman says she understood the kittens would be “euthanaized” *but did not espect them to be killed in such a brutal manner at the scene, with her children inside nearby."
> 
> I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with anything. Just wanted to point out that in the original post it seemed clear that the woman knew the kittens would be killed. Not killed the way she expected, of course, but killed nonetheless.


Thanks for pointing that out. The article that I read about this story elsewhere managed to not include that detail, which is a pretty important one. I'm glad you highlighted it before I went on arguing based on the incomplete version!

So that does change some things, and sit,stay is right that the woman evidently didn't want to save the kittens badly enough to put herself out for them after all. I was wrong about that.

But I think the other points still stand.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Having feral kittens around when you have children can be a problem. Guess where they like to do their business? You bet, in the sand box. I can see kids getting worms, and possibly bitten by the kittens. And, within a couple of months, those kittens would be having kittens, multiple litters in a year's time, with the babies of the kittens also having kittens. 

They are feral. They are a potential danger to the woman's children, espeicially if she has been feeding them. The fact that she had been feeding them was the ONLY thing I think she did wrong, Betty. 

When the ACO/LEO told her they would be killed, she made a choice to have them removed even if it meant euthanizing them. They were NOT her responsibility. Her children were her responsibility. And if there are critters who are likely to reproduce and reproduce on your property, your responsibility might be to call in someone to remove them so that fewer cats would be likely to be euthanized in the end and before they spread fleas, worms and disease to pets, and even to children in the area.

To hang this on her, is kind of a misplaced blame in my opinion. But, we cannot blame an LEO for anything so who should be blame? Yeah the person who had the audacity to call a HUMANE officer. 

Whatever. I really think we need to get over our unhealthy expectations for anyone in authority. They AREN'T perfect. It is UNFAIR to expect them to be. Unfair to them.


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## Betty (Aug 11, 2002)

Gwenhwyfair said:


> So you're saying that what he did was not a really humane way to kill the kittens (ref: blue below) and therefore would put him in the wrong....but the woman in essence got what she deserved because *her* expectations of Animal Control were wrong?



Let me ask you this? Is there any humane way of killing those cats? Let me throw this out, depending on how the shelter euthanizes it may of been more humane. I don't know.  

And I think there is a difference between saying I am not sympathetic to her and saying she got what she deserved. 

Actions have consequences. She knew the cats were going to die. She was ok with that. The only difference I see is that she is robbed of the illusion that a chorus was softly humming Kumbaya as the cats gently did their last exhale.

I'm ok with that illusion being shattered. She basically ordered their death. She had to witness it. No sympathy here.


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## Betty (Aug 11, 2002)

<shrug> Not the first time we look at things differently Sue and I'm sure it won't be the last. 

And I really didn't expect my opinion to be popular. Not the first time for that either!


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## GSDolch (May 15, 2006)

AC here does not carry guns..and any officer caught discharging his weapon for anything other than basically a criminal threatening them or others, would be in big trouble. Something I 100% agree with. Regardless of who thinks what of who, I find it reckless and irresponsible to do it the way he did. /shrugs.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Betty, if it was a stray bitch and her puppies, all other things the same, would you then agree with with the LEO's shooting them, right there the way he did?


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## Betty (Aug 11, 2002)

Sue I'm not agreeing or disagreeing that Animal Control should of shot the cats. 

I am not agreeing or disagreeing that the woman did the right thing on calling Animal Control.

I am not saying the woman should not of called Animal Control.

I'm merely not sympathetic that she was unable to distance herself from the consequences of her decision.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Betty said:


> Sue I'm not agreeing or disagreeing that Animal Control should of shot the cats.
> 
> I am not agreeing or disagreeing that the woman did the right thing on calling Animal Control.
> 
> ...


I guess I see it a little differently. 

I have always been taught that it is cruel to leave a domestic animal to its own devices, where it is likely to get run over by a car, or eaten by coyotes, starve, get into all sorts of mischeif, and make lots and lots of babies, all of whom will most likely need to be dealt with at some point.

Feral cats are a little different as they can generally manage -- will not necessarily starve to death without humans stepping in. 

But critters running wild in neighborhoods have diseases, fleas, worms, mites, and are very likely to be hit by cars or tortured by creeps. 

The answer is to call animal control. That is what they are there for. Their purpose is to remove animals that are not being provided for, and shelter, vet and feed them until they can rehome them, or to euthanize them in a manner that is humane to prevent a larger problem with many more animals being euthanized.

I think the woman did the responsible thing. She called in AC before the kittens were getting pregnant too. She understood that they would need to be euthanized. 

It sounds like you think that she got what she deserved, the nuisance animals shot and killed where her kids could hear it. Exactly what she wanted. Death sentence on the kittens. 

I wonder what YOU think she should have done instead.


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## Betty (Aug 11, 2002)

No Sue, I am not in any shape or form saying she got what she deserved. I am merely not sympathetic.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I'm sympathetic, because I am in close contact with two six year old sisters and a 2 and 3 year old set of sisters, all of whom remember Cujo and ask about him, and they are all very interested in animals. 

Gwennie's little face lights up when she hears my name and says, puppies??

Andrea calmed right down from brewing a major tantrum when I brought Bear out, and I take them for walks with the girls. The older girls read books to my dogs. 

I think about how they would feel if someone was outside shooting a bunch of kittens. 

My older sister takes her girls to pet stores just to pet the puppies, not to buy. They can understand why they should not buy from a pet store, they can understand why some animals are in shelters. They do not need to understand that some animals are put down in shelters. Not yet. It isn't their fault that is happening, and they do not neet to have to feel bad about it yet.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

O.K. but when you say you don't have sympathy that's indicative that somehow she shouldn't be surprised and/or feel a negative emotion. I really disagree.

It's called 'standard practices' and what a 'reasonable' person would expect. I have never heard of a ACO shooting animals (and often if it's a dangerous dogs it's the police that shoot the animal not the ACO).

It flat out is NOT a standard practice with animal control units and I think we all know that as a statement of fact.

When I called my vet two years ago to euth our ill and very elderly dog my expectation of standard practices was she would be euthed by injection.

Had I shown up and he pulled a gun and shot her in the head I shouldn't be surprised or outraged because I knew she was going to be killed?

If someone came onto my property to pick up a stray cat, dog, kittens and discharges a weapon without specifically advising me ahead of time that was how the animal would be 'killed' I would be furious and find ways to take further actions.

It's not only inhumane it's disrespectful, thoughtless and IMO disgusting.

I grew up on a farm. I plucked the feathers from the chickens my father had just slaughtered. He was a big time hunter and down to earth guy but he would NEVER have done something so cold like that to little kittens. I guess that's where my compass comes from on this.

One should be as humane as possible with animals always, no matter if they are headed for the dinner table or must be PTS because they are very sick or no homes to take them in.

It's not about 'kumbaya' it's about decency, you know? So that's why I can feel sympathy for the lady.




Betty said:


> Let me ask you this? Is there any humane way of killing those cats? Let me throw this out, depending on how the shelter euthanizes it may of been more humane. I don't know.
> 
> And I think there is a difference between saying I am not sympathetic to her and saying she got what she deserved.
> 
> ...


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

Not to be stupid, but is a Humane Officer Animal Control? In my county, Animal Control would do nothing about feral or stray cats. They don't come out to trap them - or shot them. I can understand not wanting stray cats around. I have a problem with cats that roam the neighborhood and frequent my yard. They poop in my garden. I can't allow my puppy to run freely in his fully fenced yard, because he eats the cat poop. He has already picked up worms from them. The cats kill my wildlife. I understand some people don't care about wildlife. That's fine. I do, however, enjoy the wildlife and resent the cats killing it on my property. My only alternative is to trap the cats and take them to Animal Control myself. I realize their chances of being adopted from Animal Control are slim to none. I have not been able to bring myself to trap them. Oh - and as for "Why" take them to animal control? It is the county law that all stray animals be taken to AC. Strays are held 4 days to allow owners to reclaim them. Unclaimed, healthy, adoptable strays are put up for adoption and held as space allows. Some might make it to shelters or rescues. 

The thing is - Animal Control is NOT the SPCA or Humane Society. Adopting out strays is not their primary function. While I would not expect my Animal Control to shoot kittens, I would also not expect them to put forth much effort into adopting out feral kittens. Hopefully, there aren't a lot of Animal Control officers that shoot nuisance animals, but I think people need to be realistic that when calling Animal Control to control animals, most likely it is not going to end well for the animals.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

Per the article the lady who called AC was informed they would be killed and admitted she was informed as such (she didn't expect them to be shot). So I think she had that level of expectation (in blue). 

(and stray cat/kitten overpopulation is a huge problem shelters simply cannot get them adopted out fast enough so many do end up being PTS, that's true  )



Stevenzachsmom said:


> Not to be stupid, but is a Humane Officer Animal Control? In my county, Animal Control would do nothing about feral or stray cats. They don't come out to trap them - or shot them. I can understand not wanting stray cats around. I have a problem with cats that roam the neighborhood and frequent my yard. They poop in my garden. I can't allow my puppy to run freely in his fully fenced yard, because he eats the cat poop. He has already picked up worms from them. The cats kill my wildlife. I understand some people don't care about wildlife. That's fine. I do, however, enjoy the wildlife and resent the cats killing it on my property. My only alternative is to trap the cats and take them to Animal Control myself. I realize their chances of being adopted from Animal Control are slim to none. I have not been able to bring myself to trap them. Oh - and as for "Why" take them to animal control? It is the county law that all stray animals be taken to AC. Strays are held 4 days to allow owners to reclaim them. Unclaimed, healthy, adoptable strays are put up for adoption and held as space allows. Some might make it to shelters or rescues.
> 
> The thing is - Animal Control is NOT the SPCA or Humane Society. Adopting out strays is not their primary function. While I would not expect my Animal Control to shoot kittens, I would also not expect them to put forth much effort into adopting out feral kittens. Hopefully, there aren't a lot of Animal Control officers that shoot nuisance animals, but I think people need to be realistic that when calling Animal Control to control animals, most likely it is not going to end well for the animals.


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## GSDolch (May 15, 2006)

I guess it depends on the area?

Here, The human society and AC are one in the same. They fall under the police dept. in some ways, in some ways they don't. They don't carry guns, they don't issue warrants, etc. If any of that is needed, and actual police officer accompanies them. All the people that work at the shelter are not police officers.

In the town I grew up in. Animal control is entirely a part of the police dept. Ran by police officers, etc etc. There is always someone different working it and they euth. rate is really high. In the same area, there is now two more organizations of humane societies, one of which has both police officers and non police officers working for them, and they also work with the county sheriffs office, and have animal cruelty investigators.

Across the board though, the way this was handled is NOT the norm. At least not around here. So I can for sure feel for this woman and understand her feelings. Here, there are rules for when it is and is not acceptable for a police officer to discharge his weapon, and THIS is not an acceptable situation.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

I think that is what it comes down to. What it is reasonable to expect. If they had tried to trap the cats and it didn't work? Sure, shoot them if that is what it takes. Cats are obviously diseased and pose a danger to others? Sure, shoot them.
But to show up and just shoot them without trying another method first? That doesn't seem right to me.


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

Gwenhwyfair said:


> Per the article the lady who called AC was informed they would be killed and admitted she was informed as such (she didn't expect them to be shot). So I think she had that level of expectation (in blue).
> 
> (and stray cat/kitten overpopulation is a huge problem shelters simply cannot get them adopted out fast enough so many do end up being PTS, that's true  )


Right. I knew the woman was aware. By saying, "People need to be realistic that when calling Animal Control to control animals, most, likely it is not going to end well for the animals."......I meant "People" in general - all of us, not particularly the woman involved. And yes, it is very, very sad that so many cats and dogs end up getting PTS. Really heartbreaking. On a bright note, I know of a couple who adopted from Animal Control last weekend. I don't hear of that often and I told them how wonderful I thought it was.

Johanna, Thank you for the clarification. It makes sense that things would differ from county to county, even within the same state. Definitely, no one could shoot cats where I live. I live in suburbia. It would be a huge risk to fire guns here.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

O.K. thanks for clarifying. I could be wrong on this because I don't ask many people, but I do think there is a general awareness of pet overpopulation and what happens to them in shelters (due to HSUS and such, they run a lot of ads). But...like I said I could be wrong...

A good friend of mine runs the adoptable cats cattery in our local petsmart and they do pull as many cats/kittens from AC shelters as then can. The cattery in Petsmart has a pretty good adoption rate, once the kitties are vetted, vaxed and shown to be social they usually find homes through the exposure in the store.  There are some beautiful, sweet cats and kittens in shelters and rescues. 



Stevenzachsmom said:


> Right. I knew the woman was aware. By saying, "People need to be realistic that when calling Animal Control to control animals, most, likely it is not going to end well for the animals."......I meant "People" in general - all of us, not particularly the woman involved. And yes, it is very, very sad that so many cats and dogs end up getting PTS. Really heartbreaking. On a bright note, I know of a couple who adopted from Animal Control last weekend. I don't hear of that often and I told them how wonderful I thought it was.
> 
> Johanna, Thank you for the clarification. It makes sense that things would differ from county to county, even within the same state. Definitely, no one could shoot cats where I live. I live in suburbia. It would be a huge risk to fire guns here.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I'm in Ohio, a few counties over from N. Ridgeville. I take my girls there for x-rays, etc, as they have a good facility, and it is a couple of hours drive -- longer in a blizzard. 

What we have in our county is a Dog Warden. I live out in the country, and people who see a barn, or even a 12x12 shed that looks like a barn, will drop off a kitten that might not have house trained quick enough, or that they just don't want or need. Anyway, about 12 years ago, Goblin was dropped off in such a manner.

I had just gotten Arwen, and she was six weeks old with just one set of shots, and this cat was walking through the chain link fencing to get to their food dishes, etc. I saw it first at night and thought it was a skunk. But finally realizing it was a cat, I trapped it and got it in a dog crate. 

I put a litter box in there and some water, and called our Dog Warden. The dog warden at the time informed me that cats are not considered domestic animals and therefore they do nothing about them. 

I called the Health Department. The Health Department told me they could do nothing unless the cat bit or scratched me. I said, why don't we just skip that step, but they wouldn't hear of it. 

I call the Animal Shelter -- not a government funded shelter, we don't have one of those. The Dog Warden will house strays at this shelter for a fee, but only dogs I guess, as cats are not domestic animals. But the animal shelter was full of cats, and they told me there was nothing they could do. 

My choices were to kill the kitten myself or take care of it. I took it to the vet with the puppy and got it its shots, and then had it spayed. She was a good cat, and lived outside for 8 years at my place. Outside cats often only make it a year or two, what with coyotes, and raccoons, and cars in the road. 

Nevertheless, I recognize that you just cannot afford to speuter all the cats people will dump on you. A pair of beautiful silver kitties were dumped off a few years later. I just did not have the funds to take care of them, so I was quite mean trying to get them to find someone more accomadating farther on down the road. They did not take the hint. I did not know it was there, and it was up in my wheel-well and I started my car and felt it crunch. I got out of my car and there it was with it's eyeball out, and I felt so terrible for not being nicer to it the day before. 

I found a home for the remaining silver kitten. 

I would expect the Dog Warden to shoot a dog if it was seriously aggressive and they could not catch it. But I would not expect them to shoot a bunch of feral kittens on someone's property. 8-10 weeks old, those were babies. They could have been caught and taken somewhere else to be euthanized, shot, what have you. They did not have to do it right there. They probably did not have to shoot the kittens, they probably could have been relocated to a feral cat refuge (there was one in Lake County) or they could have probably been relocated to a farm, where good mousers can earn their keep. 

Folks this is what the guy IS employed for. Humane Officer. That is someone who handles animal-related issues. That's his job. The laziest thing to do is bang, bang, bang, bang, bang. It doesn't make it the right thing to do. But cost-effective, cheapest, quickest -- yep. That it was. 

He should be fired from that position. He has been eating from the Government's paw for long enough. We paid him to do his job that way. Time to retire. I think he is too tired to do the job any more. His solution to the problem sucked.


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## Msmaria (Mar 2, 2013)

selzer said:


> Folks this is what the guy IS employed for. Humane Officer. That is someone who handles animal-related issues. That's his job. The laziest thing to do is bang, bang, bang, bang, bang. It doesn't make it the right thing to do. But cost-effective, cheapest, quickest -- yep. That it was.
> 
> He should be fired from that position. He has been eating from the Government's paw for long enough. We paid him to do his job that way. Time to retire. I think he is too tired to do the job any more. His solution to the problem sucked.


Exactly.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

OHIO SPCA Demands Kitten-Shooting Officer Be Fired
OHIO SPCA | Ohio Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

We trapped all of the feral cats we have had ourselves. We took the small dog crate out there, tied a string to it and pulled it shut once the cat was in there..worked like a charm every time, never a problem.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

Well, my sympathy for the lady and her children just went UP. The officer wasn't just inhumane he made what appears to be a very snarky comment prior to shooting the kittens. Not to mention, reading further down that it also appears this would be considered reckless use of his firearm as he was in a housing development and "just feet" away from the woman's house. 

From Jax08's link below:



> Upon arrival, Accorti <ACO> had stated that shelters were full and that *the cats would be going to kitty heaven*. He then retrieved his gun from his truck and walked to the back of the home where he slaughtered the kittens while the horrified homeowner ran into the house to shield her young children from witnessing the violence.


 


Jax08 said:


> OHIO SPCA Demands Kitten-Shooting Officer Be Fired
> OHIO SPCA | Ohio Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals


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## DJGinger (Jun 5, 2013)

It was ALLEGED Acorti said the Kitty Heaven in that context if at all..... I have doubts

I'm sorry this whole circus stinks like the elephant parade.

Though if indeed there was NO warning and children outside he was neglectful of safety, and he certainly showed poor public manner. 
Living often in rural SE/SW the shooting is no surprise to me. Vermin animals are treated differently from possible domestics and it seems she ensured these animals were considered "Wild". So like opossums, *****, bees, snakes , bats or other unwanted creatures... they were eliminated on spot. Rare animals and endangered animal and usually less dangerous herbivores get capture/chase off.
　
　
contacted NRPD on Facebook regarding a "family of cats" that had made a home in their wood pile. The resident went on to ask if the humane officer would pick them up or would they have to deal with the issue themselves. 

but THIS from SPCA:
_"In April 2013, Accorti was applauded for saving a baby Great Horned Owl on a playground, yet he did not hesitate to murder 5 baby kittens using his gun.Need we say anymore. Mr. Accorti needs to lose his job immediately!"_
　
So *if there was a SPCA in her town why didn't she contact them*? not convenient enough? What she asked to drop off but admitted she was owner and the person on duty said there would be charge for turn in? Or like Mesa AZ-you pay a fee if owner or not for turn in ?
　
Unfortunately I cannot help but believe that she was the one who orchestrated this sad event, but under estimated the effect that it had on one or both of her children so now wants to blame others and get some lawsuit money.... at least revenge on the Officer.
Her story changed so much and most of that article is her paraphasing. Nothing direct from Acorti.

So which was it...? 
suddenly pulled out gun and said 'okay..they are going to kitty heaven! Powpow!'
Or painfully spending hours of taxpayer time dismantling a wood pile while she nagged his ear saying they had to go now-now-now (why else call AC police instead of actual humane society) and how dangerous they were (to make her problem bigger) so he found no other solution but the allowable one of shooting them? Giving her time to : "_woman ran into the house to shield her children who were screaming and crying. We are told that he discharged his gun approximately 15 feet from the backyard patio."_SPCA_
And had gun drawn for some time obviously if they ALREADY were screaming and crying. So why didnt she stay outside asn tell him he was free to go -she woudl find another solution?
　
She has changed her story to a more and more grusome version each time. I wouldn't believe her if she said sky was blue. And what about her husband who allegedly(not clear before or after) told officer he _missed the mother -she hung around too_? and why couldnt he keep the kids in other side of house or better a quick trip to McDs? The Kitty Heaven comment if even said has no context at all.
Why didnt they ask for a cat trap?
　
I have ZERO sympathy for the woman. I do feel sorry for the kids having a quick and possibly allegedly "no Sant Clause " moment about what happens to unwanted animals.
　

And fair, fluffy..shooting is not. But it is a humane way of destruction/disposal. In this case the least expensive and quickest one. 　

I suppose next will be the 100s of shots fired wildly because they suffered and were not hit right away story.


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## DJGinger (Jun 5, 2013)

North Ridgeville Mayor David Gillock: Humane officer followed city procedure in feral kitten shootings | cleveland.com

a little more perspective...


and SPCA doesn't support all humane options ..just google the sad fate of the Caboodle Ranch FL. They were the attackers of along running option to the pound.


It is just a sad sad affair.. 

But we must be pragmatic. When I chose E list I chose the animals that had best chance of responding to training and being rehomed. Animals with no ongoing health problems. Animals that were adult. I couldnt save them all or worry about who got a bad deal and deserved better. I had to concetrate on ones I could save and would stay saved.


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## JackandMattie (Feb 4, 2013)

DJGinger said:


> North Ridgeville Mayor David Gillock: Humane officer followed city procedure in feral kitten shootings | cleveland.com
> 
> a little more perspective...


Thanks for posting. The city is dealing with wild animals, and NOT tame "baby" kittens. The officer was trained and NOT reckless. A kill shot properly administered is NOT inhumane.

And they acknowledged that communication could have been better, and the officer should have come back when the kids weren't around. That's a pretty good story, I think.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

The Mayor is a good politician.

Good many excuses and vague arguments.

<_the following is removing politician speak_> We have some sort of study from Nebraska that says it's o.k. to euth with a gun, well heck it sounds like a good excuse. Hey as long as it's small caliber it's really not 'that' bad to kill kittens with it. If we can't get *all* the cats we may as well kill the cats we can with a gun right then and there because it's easier. We all know that when you use a gun to kill kittens none will manage to escape somehow, 'cause using a gun is 100% effective...somehow... and any method that's not 100% effective means we don't even have to bother try (like trapping first) it and just shoot the dang things. :/

Like Sue said earlier this is pure laziness.

AND .22 within THAT close of range of a house is still dangerous and can seriously wound someone and people have been killed by .22s as well.

The problem here was the incident was not going to be addressed seriously until AFTER people kicked up a fuss.

Now the powers that be admit 'uh well maybe we should have told the lady we were going shoot the kittens'.

Besides a .22 can't shoot through a wood pile. If he had to move wood around he could have grabbed the kittens with gloves. Most HUMANE officers carry protective gloves to capture cats and other small domestic animals, even social domestic cats will bite if grabbed suddenly.

There's several different methods which could have been used to address this situation and for what ever reason this humane...ahem...'officer' didn't. 

We used to have a lousy AC unit in my county. We changed that by getting a new director who has really turned things around. It sounds to me like the people of this Ohio community have decided they aren't going to accept this sort of 'culture' within their AC as well they should not and they will have to keep pressing on incidents like this to get the change they as* taxpayers have the right to ask for*. 







DJGinger said:


> North Ridgeville Mayor David Gillock: Humane officer followed city procedure in feral kitten shootings | cleveland.com
> 
> a little more perspective...
> 
> ...


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Gwenhwyfair said:


> The Mayor is a good politician.
> 
> Good many excuses and vague arguments.
> 
> ...


:thumbup:

But really, would we be having this conversation at all, if the humane officer would have told the lady to take the kids for a car ride?


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

I wonder how this thread would be going if this was a bunch of puppies the guy shot?? I believe it would be more unacceptable and I think that is sad, because even though there is an overpopulation of cats, they are still living breathing things.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

llombardo said:


> I wonder how this thread would be going if this was a bunch of puppies the guy shot?? I believe it would be more unacceptable and I think that is sad, because even though there is an overpopulation of cats, they are still living breathing things.


Well, if it was wolves, people would be going off the deep end over it.


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## Bubbles (Aug 31, 2012)

I'm a cat person. I'm appaled by this. There are many rescues for feral cats. 2 of my cats are feral as kittens but you would never know by looking at them. I've bottle fed them and nursed them to good health. I have rehabilitated many stray/feral cats to a domestic cat behavior . I do rehome them when I see they know how to use a cat box and are comfortable with me and my other animals. 

Feral cats are not helpless its time and patience and there are rescues for them. Especially capture n&s and release . shooting the kittens is uncalled for. If that officer did that on sheriff Joes territory I'm sure they'd slap that officer with a maximum sentence. Like the officer who left his gsd in the car and died.

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

Probably not..... I don't know BUT if this is a 'cultural' problem within the AC unit of that area it would bubble up into the light of day eventually.

At first read I was thinking, maybe this was an isolated incident, then I read the link with the Mayor's comments and it sounds like it's cultural. They don't want to bother looking into newer methods, which may be more humane and also may even save money in the long run. 

Our AC used to be like this and people finally had had enough, it was out with the old in with the new and the entire culture of the AC employees changed too. They partner with rescue groups much more closely, more public access and education. For a shelter having to work in the rural south which has HUGE problems with overpopulation of unwanted dogs and cats our shelter does a pretty darn good job. It's a struggle and as was mentioned we do have to be pragmatic about pet overpopulation but that doesn't mean we have to tolerate brutish behavior in our civil servants.



selzer said:


> :thumbup:
> 
> But really, would we be having this conversation at all, if the humane officer would have told the lady to take the kids for a car ride?


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