Another ignorant person

[NightLad]

My moms neighbor lost her cat and has tried searching, offering rewards and even using tracking dogs to locate it with no luck. So finally when she talked to the police the ignorant police officer told her that he thought kids were stealing cats in the area to feed to their snakes. I talked to her and explained to her that wasn't the case.

Ask your neighbor, politely, if she could please tell you the officers name. Regardless if you can get it or not, go to the station and schedule an appointment with the supervisor, or, to a lesser extent, write a letter. Ask if stealing neighborhood pets to feed pet snakes is a common occurrence, and, on average, how many cases of this they deal with on a monthly basis. Ask if it happens to such an extent that it has become policy to inform missing-pet owners that their beloved animals might have been stolen to feed to snakes.

Afterwards, be prepared to offer some facts about snakes, using the ball-python as an example, if you like. For example; that they imprint on their food and will typically refuse anything out of their standard diet - not to mention that a cat could easily kill a BP!

Have some printed material with you to leave, such as the BP care sheet, which will explain the care and nature of ownership of these animals.

Be as polite and civil as you can. Impress upon him/her that your motivating concern is that misinformation and lack of education about these animals can cause a panic in the community which can manifest in a backlash against these innocent animals, and by extension, their owners. To affirm this point, I suggest you print out (or at least mention) the recently discussed newspaper article about the ball-python that got nailed to a telephone pole and explain that misinformation about our pets perpetrates a culture of undue fear, anxiety and cruelty - not only to the animals, but to those who responsibly care for them.

I think its great that you were able to speak with your neighbor. However, I also feel that it is important to nip the problem at its source. Who knows what other misconceptions this police officer is spreading about reptile ownership? Today he says we steal pets to feed our snakes, tomorrow he might be saying we take kids, too. Who knows? Sigh.

On a closing note, not all cops are like that. One of my buddies is a cop who, at one point, maintained a personal collection of over 250 reptiles - mostly snakes.

PS: I do remember reading about an escaped python that ate a ladies cat, but when interviewed, the lady didn't blame the snake. I've yet to hear a substantiated story of people stealing pets to feed snakes.