Many of you likely remember the story of Porkchop, the lost kitten who was killed by the Mobile Co pound in AL just 9 minutes after a Good Samaritan brought him to the facility in January. Porkchop’s owner, Kaitlyn Hughes, has retained an attorney and is seeking justice for her pet:
Hughes’ attorney has sent the county a letter informing them he “plans to file suit against all of those at the County Animal Shelter responsible for the death of the kitten.” The letter claims the shelter committed wanton negligence and the “kitten was killed for no legitimate reason.”
The pound investigated itself to determine why Porkchop was not held for the state mandated holding period for strays. While I don’t know that the pound answered that question, they apparently did report that Porkchop was determined to be “feral”. Ms. Hughes says her neighbor who found her kitten and brought him to the pound did not witness any aggressive behavior:
“My neighbor said when [shelter employees] put [Porkchop] in the cage, [Porkchop] just sat down and looked up at him, completely calm,” Hughes said.
Bear in mind that Porkchop was healthy, neutered and freshly bathed at the time he was impounded. And I presume the neighbor handled him without special training or thick gloves. None of which excuses the pound killing any healthy/treatable cat who might be feral. Feral cats have a right to live.
To make a tragic situation worse, Ms. Hughes says the pound attempted to cover up the killing when she first sought to redeem her kitten:
Hughes said when she went to the shelter to pick up Porkchop, the shelter staff gave her the run-around and claimed they never admitted Porkchop. After putting pressure on the shelter, Hughes said an assistant manager “found” Porkchop’s file, brought her outside and told her what happened.
[…]
“[The shelter] thought that I was just going to go away and never find out,” Hughes said.
Obviously the Mobile Co pound has underestimated the bonds of family. Animal services=family services. Mobile Co doesn’t get that – yet. Maybe they will learn it in court.
(Thanks Karen for the link.)