Utah woman charged with 2 misdemeanors for letting cat sleep in her own yard: 'This is a cat'
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A cat nap turned into a catastrophe in Utah on Monday.
Milo, an orange tabby cat, was snoozing on his owner’s lawn in Murray on June 24 when animal control officers delivered quite a wake-up call in the form of two misdemeanor charges.
The owner, Kate Anderson, told FOX13 animal control officers came to her house to hand her the citation, which listed two charges – one for having “an animal at large” and one for “not having an animal license attached” – both are Class B misdemeanors based on a city ordinance.
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OVERWEIGHT CAT GETS SENT TO FAT CAMP
According to Anderson, someone in the neighborhood took a picture of Milo sleeping on the lawn and reported it to the city.
“This is a cat who is neutered and micro-chipped and vaccinated, and is not a menace to society,” Anderson said to FOX 13.
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The woman said Milo has “a cat door, so he just comes and goes and is a cat.”
She said she was shocked by the citation.
“I just got a ticket for my cat being outside, in my yard,” Anderson said.
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Anderson, who said she has to call for her court date for the misdemeanors, is concerned about her indoor-outdoor pal, noting the feline enjoys being outside on the lawn.
“I don’t think most people think it is illegal to let your cat outside under any circumstance,” Anderson said.
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The ordinance dates back to 1963 and prohibits any animal being in an area – even if it’s on the owner’s property – without a leash, secured in a yard or confined to a vehicle. Any owner of an animal considered “at large” is found “unlawful” under the ordinance and can face a charge, as Anderson did.
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“It’s definitely antiquated, I think if anything, there needs to be some kind of addition or amendment to the ordinance excluding felines,” Anderson said.
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Murray city Attorney G.L. Critchfield told FOX13 that they have filed a motion to dismiss the charges, but will not likely be amending the ordinance.