The Osborne family microchipped their cat, Griffon, hoping it would lead him home if their kitty ever escaped the house. And Griffon did, but this time getting him back became a costly and stressful experience.
Griffon snuck out of the house one day before the Thanksgiving according to Paw Nation. After they discovered his disappearance, the entire family went out to look for the Siamese mix, but it was to no avail. The whole family could not enjoy the holiday until they received a phone call two days after from HomeAgain, a microchip company, saying Griffon was retrieved at a local animal shelter. The kitty wandered off just less than a block away from the house.
Osborne brought a photo and microchip paperwork to the animal shelter to prove that they are the rightful owners of the cat. They were asked to pay a $55 fee which entailed an overnight stay, vaccination shots and another $25 fee for the pick-up work by animal control. Osborne accepted all the fees, but she was then directed to speak with animal control at the police station to receive a ticket for allowing her cat to roam outside.
Osborne was trying to be civil, so she went ahead to sign the ticket. However, the next day, when she received the fine, she was devastated. It was a hefty $1,132 fine. Animal control responded that it was the standard fee.
The whole thing seemed very odd. Osborne was heavily penalized for being a good citizen and doing the responsible things she was supposed to do to protect her cat. Having her cat microchipped is a safety measure that Osborne took very seriously.
Eventually they went to court. Since she promised that this would not happen again, the court decided to settle the ticket for a $25 fine and an additional $67 fee for court. The whole ordeal cost her a total of $147 according to Paw Nation.
"It's ridiculous...It's not like he bit anyone. He was sitting in a driveway; that's what the ticket says."
Many towns have adopted laws that are made hard on cat owners.
"The other day he got out at 5 a.m., and I had to chase him down the street."
top image via link