Snake abuse

[angllady2]

If he left the animal in their care without providing for it's basic needs, after 3 days it becomes their property, to do with as they please.

Three summers ago, my daughter went for a walk around our neighborhood, and came home with the most pitiful looking kitten I'd ever seen. It was so emaciated, dehydrated and sick, I don't know how it wasn't dead. We syringe fed it fluids and soft food, it could not stand up to eat or drink. After about a week, it was starting to act like a normal kitten, it could walk and potty on it's own.

All of a sudden, one night as we are watching TV, this little kids knocks on our door and says we stole that kitten, and his mom wants it back. I told the boy I had no idea what he was talking about, that my daughter found a kitten, and we had saved it from death. He leaves and 10 minutes later he's back. We stole the kitten, and his mom wants her kitten back or else. I told him yet again, my daughter found a kitten abandon in a yard, no one around, it was obviously near death, and we had saved it. If his mom thought this was her kitten, why didn't she come talk to me herself ? He leaves again.

10 minutes later he comes back with his slightly older sister, he's about 7 she's maybe 10. Both kids tell me again, we stole the kitten and their mom wants it back right now. I told them both, the kitten was not their mom's it was abandoned, if she thinks the kitten is hers, she should have the nerve to come talk to me instead of sending her two little kids. I told them point blank I was not going to give them this kitten, period. They both leave.

15 minutes later, this lady shows up at my door demanding I return the kitten my daughter stole. I asked her how my daughter stole the kitten. Did she break into your house and steal it ? The woman says no, that she had taken the kittens outside and put them in a box with a for sale sign, but the kittens all dissapeared and she didn't get any money. Once she found out we had one of her kittens, she wanted me to pay her for this kitten. I told her the kitten my daughter found was nowhere near her house, that it was emaciated and dehydrated and nearly dead, it had obviously been neglected. The woman got all huffy and nasty, she took great care of her kittens and how dare I suggest she neglected them. I told her simply, then that proves this wasn't your kitten. She asks to see the kitten, so I agree. I figure if she see's the kitten, she'll know it isn't hers and will stop bothering me.

So I go and get the kitten and bring it out. She looks at it and says, "Oh, that is my kitten!" and she tries to snatch it from me. I pulled the kitten away from her, and told her she couldn't have it. She asked what I meant. I told her the truth, this kitten was starving and dehydrated and sick, if she was responsible for that condition, she sure as h-e-double hockey sticks wasn't getting that kitten back. She then threatened to call the police on me if I didn't hand it over. I told her to go ahead and call, she knew where I lived. She stormed off, and I called the sheriff's department myself. I explained the situation, and the referred me to my local Animal Control Office.

I called Animal Control and explained the situation again. The lady was very sympathetic to me and asked how long I had had the kitten. I told her over a week. She chuckled and said, if the kitten was obviously neglected and appeared to be abandoned { ie. it wasn't being cared for} then once I had the kitten in my possession for three days, it became my property. She told me if the woman did follow through with her threat, the police could not remove the kitten from my care because it was now mine.

So, if this person is not caring for the animal, or paying for it's care, after three days it is considered abandoned and the people who are caring for it now own that snake. Plain and simple. So, explain to them the animal is considered abandoned and they are free to do whatever they see fit to do, and this person who abandoned it cannot do a thing about it. If you do not think you can care for it, tell them so and that you want to try and find someone who can.

Gale