Posted on 12/30/2008 9:57:06 AM PST by Fawn
PHOENIX, AZ -- Brutis the cat is back home with his owner after going through a bit of a pickle. He had been stuck in a neighbor's tree for nine days, according to the owner.
And the cat's owner says a police officer may have been partly to blame.
The cat got away from his owner, Michael, last Sunday at a home near 12th Street and Bell Road. When Michael finally tracked Brutis down, he was stuck in the branches, two stories in the air, on his neighbor's property.
The neighbor is a Phoenix police officer.
Michael had tried to get the cat out with no luck. Animal Control told him they don't handle cats due to limited resources.
On Christmas morning, the Humane Society tried to rescue Brutis but said its ladders were not tall enough to reach him.
They also suggested Michael leave food and water at the base of the tree, something Michael said he couldn't do because his police officer neighbor would not let him back on the property.
"He said he wouldn't let us go back there and try and rescue the cat," Michael said.
Michael said the officer told him he was concerned that if someone got hurt while trying to get the cat on his property, he would be liable.
"He said no because of insurance," explained Michael.
A Phoenix Police spokesperson said the officer did what he could to help the cat.
Sgt. Tommy Thompson said the officer followed the direction of the Humane Society, taking his dog inside for a day, hoping the cat would come down on it's own.
He said the Humane Society called the officer an "angel" who did all he could.
The Humane Society also told the officer they could not rescue the cat safely, according to Thompson.
However, another non-profit said on Monday they made an attempt to get Brutis out of the tree.
Toni Smith and Terry Toman are with Citizens for North Phoenix Strays.
"There's some friction here between these neighbors and I said I could care less about the people I just want to go up and get the cat," said Smith.
Smith and Toman said they chose to go behind the home on a public sidewalk and lean a 25-foot ladder against his back wall.
In this way, they figured they were not on his property.
Just as they were about to get the cat, Smith said, "This guy comes barreling out of his house, flashed his gun and his badge, and started screaming and freaking out."
Toman added, "It's a little overkill".
ABC15 tried to speak with the officer to get his side of the story, but he said to call police.
The Phoenix Police Department said their officer had a right to defend his property.
They added that there was no way the officer could have known whether Smith and Toman were intruders or not.
“It seems like I just have to sit here and watch my cat starve to death or freeze to death,” Michael said.
Both Smith and Toman said they were willing to sign a waiver guaranteeing they would not sue the officer or hold him liable if they should hurt themselves while rescuing Brutis.
“It’s just a cat in a tree, why can’t we just go there and get the cat and move on,” Smith said.
Late Tuesday morning, Michael said police officers arrived at the home and rescued the cat using a ladder. It's unclear who's property they did it from.
Sgt. Thompson said Phoenix Police don't normally rescue cats from trees, but said calls to the Police Chief's office prompted the move to get the cat down.
Brutis is now safe and doing well -- and out of the tree.
Then whoever suggested that the online editor was trying to clean it up was probably right.
Your neighbor's cat phones the police? LOL
Sorry, couldn't resist...
Phoenix PD, eh?
If it had been the sheriff, he’d probably have climbed up and got the cat down himself on the first day.
The cat will come down when it gets hungry.
“What exactly defines running wild?”
Coming into my FENCED back yard defines “running wild”. Your cat is your responsibility, not mine. I do not buy the argument “that is what cats do...”. Keep them in your house or your yard and I don’t care how many cats you call yours.
I have taken over 30 cats out of my back yard in the last two years. Trapped them all. They were “running wild”, but not anymore.
Cats do not get “trapped” in trees. If they don’t come down it is because they prefer to stay in the tree.
I didn’t detect any humor at all. I detected a whole lot of baiting, but not a drop of humor. I’m tempted to bet you didn’t even crack a smile at it yourself.
But back to the real point: Cat ‘owners’ who let their cats roam the neighborhood are not operating with a proper sense of fairness. They want to be absolved of all responsibility for their cats’ actions while roaming, but they want the felines protected against harm and trapping as though they were their domesticated pets.
I mean, dog owners are required, in many jurisdictions, to carry a pooper scooper or a bag when they walk their dog, and to clean up all the poop their dogs drop while they’re out.
Not so, the cats. They can poop anyplace their little butts desire, which means under my window or in my garden, more often than not.
Hey, if I can’t shoot the little poopers, could I just trap them and take them way out in the country or the woods and let them go? That’s what Animal Control would do with most other wild animals. Just to help them be their wild selves, I’d be willing to use a set of long handled cutters (so I don’t get scratched) to cut their collars off, so they won’t have to be hampered by that noisy old ID tag.
It’s only fair.
;-) [There, that’s your notice I’m kidding a little.]
Thanks, Slings & Arrows
Ping.
My pleasure.
LOL, really loud.
Extremely well played.
You want to be fair and honest about this situation? How many people actually pick up after their dogs? 10%? So we people put up with irresponsible dog owners MOSt of the time. Do we leave poison and want to kill them? Maybe...but most people have a brain and understand people and real life.
How many cats can walk on a leash? .01%. So you can't compare. Do you think it's natural and normal to keep your cat inside the house like a piece of furniture 24-7? No. Would you do that to a dog? Would you keep a dog in the house almost every second of it's life? Why do you think God gave cats claws, the hunting instinct, the need to eat grass and the want to run, climb and chase things?
Depending on the neighborhood, the individual cat and the circumstances (neighborhoods, kind of cat, etc), a cat should be treated uniqely. Not as a wild animal, not as a goldfish. They are in a class all by themselves. They can't be put on a leash and can't be fenced in. They thrive being outdoors and it is almost cruel to keep them inside their whole lives. Most will become depressed, lazy and bored out of their minds...
Now if only people were mature enough to accept those facts.
“Can’t anyone use (or NOT use) an apostrophe properly?”
If it irritates you i will try to use it and anything else improperl’y to irritate you!
Why should your cat be my problem? I want to eat the food I get from my garden in my fenced in backyard. I put a lot of work into it and love the fresh from the garden produce...until some cat takes a dump there.
I re-did my fence and put out anti-cat chemicals, but that doesn't stop them. I put out dried predator urine, but that doesn't stop them. I spread coffee grounds and orange peels, it doesn't stop them. I've tried to be nice and humane to keep them out and not kill some kid's cat, but I am a part of nature, too and this is my yard. If my efforts to passively deal with my irresponsible neighbors' animals doesn't work, then I will ramp it up a notch. A pellet gun is silent and not illegal to shoot. There are several traps that I can use. There is always poison.
If you care about your animal, be responsible and control it. That way you don't have to worry about what it eats, what is chasing it, whether it might get hit by a car or shot by a neighbor who has done all they can and now must go to lethal means. By doing all I can short of shooting, in my opinion, I am a bigger cat lover than my neighbors who don't do anything for their animals but feed them.
Ya know not too long ago....like when I was a kid, my dad would never think of letting a cat in the house—that was how most people thought....they were considered animals and lived outside. Only the last few decades have people kept them inside. He also never whined about a cat in the garden or pooping on the lawn. He was realistic. I don’t see you whining about all the bird and rodent poop. Why would you chance eating food from your garden? The diseases in that soil from bugs, birds and rodents must be horrific. They are much more deadly than the chance that a cat might poop in your garden and yet you don’t care about that. And I said it also depended on the circumstances. Letting a cat roam in NYC is different than one strolling in the suburbs.
Ah, now that’s humor.
;-)
Now, get over here and pick up all this cat poop.
Failing in that, how about putting diapers on your cat so you’re not inflicting him/her/it on your neighbors???? If you are incapable of acting responsibly, then DON’T GET A CAT. It’s that simple. Don’t break out with all these silly, weaselly excuses, then turn the cat out to terrorize the neighborhood.
BTW, if the owner doesn’t pick up after the dog, s/he risks a fine in many jurisdictions. It is the law, and certain people WILL turn a violator in to the police when they see it happening.
When I see a cat running loose, I march toward it, growling and menacing, then yelling for it to GIT! They always turn and run from me. Years ago, a neighborhood cat was terrorizing my dog in my yard, acting very much like a WILD animal. I won’t say what I did to that cat, but I never saw him again.
He might not have stopped running until he hit the border. Maybe not even then.
“Brutis is now safe and doing well — and out of the tree.”
Thanks to Drudge.
I almost called the Phoenix PD myself but once I saw it on Drudge I knew the cat would be home by dusk. I hope this prick cop gets a bad report in his file. Sheesh what a jerk.
Depending on the neighborhood, the individual cat and the circumstances (neighborhoods, kind of cat, etc), a cat should be treated uniqely. Not as a wild animal, not as a goldfish. They are in a class all by themselves. They can’t be put on a leash and can’t be fenced in. They thrive being outdoors and it is almost cruel to keep them inside their whole lives. Most will become depressed, lazy and bored out of their minds...
Now if only people were mature enough to accept those facts.
Hear ye, hear ye, a voice of sanity. Like there are just hundreds of cats roaming an individual neighborhood, pooping all over the gardens. Not. Hyperbole. They roam around during the day, lounge in the sun, and then come home at nite for food, drink, and some petting. How often is it that they cause much trouble? Hardly ever. People have let their cats roam for centuries. I’m lucky in that, though living in a condo, I have a very large balcony (20 feet long). I’m on the second floor, and my cats (when I had 2, 1 passed away not too long ago), would go out on the balcony during the warm days of spring, all summer, and into the fall. They would lounge around, stare at birds, watch squirrels and rabbits, and enjoy the fresh air. Neither of my cats would intentionally jump off. Instinctively they knew they were too high up. It is the best of both worlds. I can let my cat out, but the cat is still at home. She comes in and out at whim (I keep the sliding glass door cracked so she can do this. The only day I make sure to keep her in is Halloween, as she is black and looks just like the Halloween scaredy cat. (She’s very pretty, medium to a bit longer hair). Is right next to me on my recliner as I type, with her tail occasionally swishing over the keyboard.
Still, I must thank you for your answers as you've convinced me that there is no reasoning with people who feel as you do. Clearly, no matter how I much I talk about my property rights, the city laws against letting animals run loose, the POA's bylaws against letting animals run loose, the hazards of letting animals run loose, my efforts to be humane rather than lethal or any other bit of logic, all I'll get in return is some emotional inane bluster. Why waste the time?
You have convinced me that the only way I can solve cat problem the irresponsible cat people have forced upon me is to trap them and turn them over to the pound or simply shoot them and put them in the trash. I see now that this way everybody wins. People can let their cats run free as they believe nature intended and I then get rid of the nuisance cats on my property per the city and POA laws. Win-win. Though I'm pissed that my neighbors would force me to do this, I appreciate your showing me that I have no other choice.
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