The Daily Telegraph

Feeding that ‘stray’ cat could lead to a visit from police

Pensioner handed warning for feline ‘theft’ after animal’s owner complained

- By Helena Horton

PEOPLE have been urged not to feed their neighbours’ pets after a pensioner was handed an official warning by police for taking in what she thought was a stray cat.

Before feeding the mewling cat at their back door, animal lovers need to check with their neighbours to ensure they are not inadverten­tly “stealing” someone’s pet, the Cats Protection League has said.

The charity has begun a campaign calling on cat lovers to find out whether the animal they are feeding is a stray or not, lest they be mistakenly

‘Two officers hand-delivered the notice ... I felt like a common criminal’

labelled “cat thieves”. This comes after a pensioner was visited by three police officers and slapped with an official warning letter for feeding a cat she thought was a stray.

Shirley Key, 79, noticed a skinny black cat in her greenhouse last spring and fed it for more than a year, as well as buying it toys and paying a £200 vet’s bill.

However, after a neighbour complained, she received two separate visits from police officers in marked cars and a written warning accusing her of “cat theft”. She explained: “The cat was skin and bones and very weak, he obviously hadn’t eaten for a while.

“Eventually. I took it to Pets at Home, which asked me to look after it.

“They said it had been neglected, and I paid all the vet bills.” She said she continued to give the cat food if it turned up until May this year, when an officer from Kent Police knocked on her door, saying she had been reported for “cat theft”.

Miss Key said although she no longer fed the cat, three weeks later, police again knocked on her door in Westgate-on-sea, Kent.

“This time, two officers said they were hand-delivering a community protection notice,” she said.

The notice said the Miss Key must not “allow any other person’s pet into her property, including outbuildin­gs” or allow anyone else’s pets in overnight.

Breaching the notice could have led to an £80 fine, a court appearance and a criminal record.

“I felt like a criminal,” she said.

Kent Police have since admitted that the officers were too heavy-handed and should have not given Miss Key the notice.

Chief Inspector Rhiannan Pepper said: “A warning was given to a resident in error in Westgate following a report of a dispute between two neighbours. The warning has since been withdrawn and the matter fully explained to the resident.”

The Cats Protection League told The Daily Telegraph: “We do hear of people accidental­ly adopting owned cats. We ask people to check with their neighbours first before taking in a ‘stray’ cat. We advise owners to microchip their pet and keep the details up-to-date should they change address.”

It advised looking out for a new cat over time. If a wellfed cat kept coming back, it was likely it was owned.

But the charity also warned that a malnourish­ed animal may be lost and could need to be reunited with its owner, so people should take any potential strays to a vet to check for a microchip. common

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