Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Eviction order for pets
‘I was physically sick when I received council’s letter’
A FAMILY has started the “agonising” process of rehoming its pets following an eviction letter from Dundee City Council.
Lorna Armstrong, 46, said she felt “physically sick” after being told that the family will be visited by housing officers for an inspection next month.
The council workers will make sure that she has reduced the number of animals living in their property following complaints by neighbouring residents about the number of pets at the family’s home.
The family from Maryfield look after six cats, a dog and several tropical fish — and have now started the “agonising” process of rehoming five of the cats.
The latest blow comes after the Tele revealed last week that Lorna’s autistic 12-year-old daughter Chloe — a pupil at Morgan Academy — wrote an emotional letter to council chiefs pleading for the animals to stay at their home.
Lorna said her daughter classes the animals as her “best friends”, and was in tears when she received a letter on Thursday confirming that some of the animals needed to be removed.
She added: “I was physically sick when I received that letter. It’s basically like asking my daughter which of her best friends she wants to get rid of — it has been an agonising process.”
Lorna said she has found a home for five of the cats and added: “I am trying to work with the council at the moment to try to resolve the situation.
“It has been difficult for me and my daughter to decide which cats to keep. Given Chloe’s condition, I thought there could have been a better way of dealing with this. It has been difficult for Chloe to make a decision on which cats to keep.”
One neighbour who contacted the Tele advised that several residents had complained about the number of animals on the premises.
A spokesman for Dundee City Council said: “The council has a duty to balance the rights of all its tenants, which is reflected in the agreement that each signs before they take up a lease.”