Question
My neighbor across the street keeps having my cats trapped and taken away for coming in her yard. She had my dog taken away last year because he got out of house for a minute and she got smart with me, so I told her off and than she called police on dog. She is using the police and animal control to punish me. How can I stop her? My cats are outside animals but well fed. Dry food with a can of mackerel on top daily. Help. I have to stop her. Can I file charges on her for wasting city money by using them to get at me?
Answer
Law enforcement is responsible for investigating allegations of neglect and other animal welfare/control matters. A lawsuit alleging the waste of city money is not likely to succeed for a variety of reasons. Imagine if every taxpayer could successfully sue each time he/she believed that the city wasted money! The most effective way for a pet “parent” to ensure that a neighbor will not seize animals would be to keep the animals indoors and to supervise the animals when outdoors. Microchipping animals can help to reunite animals with their “parent.” It is unclear from your question whether you are claiming that your neighbor is abandoning the animals after seizing them. Abandonment is against the law. The police, sheriff, humane society, and SPCA (society for the prevention of cruelty to animals) should be contacted. If these are feral cats, consider providing information regarding trap/neuter/return (TNR) so that she will understand that TNR is an effective method to help reduce cat overpopulation. I hope that you and your neighbor can work out an amicable arrangement so that your animals are safeguarded.
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