I’m sorry I’ve been away so long, but I’m fighting for my cat.
We have lived in the same condo for 11 years. For the entire time, Blue has been going outside during the day and staying inside with me at night. He’s just an outdoor boy. We found him, couldn’t find his owner, and he was already a year old. Do you know what it’s like trying to keep an outside cat in? Impossible. And it’s impossible to train them to a leash when they haven’t been trained as kittens.
Well, things were just fine here. In fact, everyone in the neighborhood loves Blue and many invite him into their homes to hang out because they enjoy his company. They also feed him, which we discourage, but he’s a real charmer and we can’t blame folks for wanting to please him.
In January, our board elected a new president. You see, the board elects the president, not the people. The problem is that this man admittedly hates cats and has been saying so for the past 10 years since we’ve known him. He’s been a friend. I’ve helped him numerous times with computer issues, and even tried to help him sell a book that he self published. I mean, what’s happening is unbelievable!
The first thing he did was to put up a notice on the bulletin board that cats had to be kept on a leash or indoors. Well… it wasn’t in the rules, so he had to take it down. Then, he had new rules written, informed the members of the association, and nobody votes. We’re just told what the new rules are.
Well… with Blue, keeping him inside or on a leash just isn’t going to happen.
We went to the board meeting to try and straighten this out, but they were all stony. I tried to explain that Blue is a member of my family. I’m amazed at how officious this guy became. He said it’s a “county law” that cats be leashed and wouldn’t budge.
So, we called the county and they told us yes, it is, but they don’t enforce it and they don’t want to be involved in a community issue. However, if there are complaints, they have to act on them. They don’t really care, and there were NO complaints at that time and there never have been for 11 years.
Neither were there any complaints with our property manager. In fact, NO ONE was complaining, except this man. He’s being totally unreasonable and Blue remains a free cat. Yet, they have sent us two letters warning us about what they’re going to do… call the county and have the cat removed.
I know it seems like a petty deal, and in the scheme of things it is. But why should we or our cat (after 11 years) be sanctioned because of one person? It’s not fair. So, I’ve gone around and collected signatures from most of the folks living here now. (In the summer it’s kind of dead because the snowbirds are up north. I live in Florida.)
Nothing has happened yet. We’re keeping an eye out for the county so we can show them Blue’s shots and license. But this is totally unfair, and it’s not affecting Blue only. There’s another man that has two cats that you hardly ever see, but that also go outside. No complaints about them, either. They mind their business, and well… they don’t bark, for cryin’ out loud!
This is ludicrous! Blue has captured more vermin than I can tell you about, and last winter, the dope caught a coral snake (see the video). At least, it looked like one. Luckily we saw Blue tugging at it before he got it all the way out of the ground and dealt with it, but he really does help the neighborhood. That snake was right beside our front door!
So, what do you think? Is this fair? Should we force the little guy to stay indoors all the time? Is it fair to him?
Please give me your comments! If you’re on my side, I’ll print them out and take them to the board meeting next week. I have 40+ signatures on a petition. I have minutes from 2001 showing that cats weren’t to be restrcited to leashes. And…
I have evidence that every single member of the board is or has been breaking the rules themselves until this issue came up and it’s tearing our community apart. I keep hoping that the other board members will see that and make this old curmudgeon to back off, but it’s hope at this point. They all stick together because they’re a little clique. I’m livid and concerned that they’ll carry out their threats.
Any lawyers? Any legal advice? What should I do? We have been in these condos since the day they were built, even before anyone on the board. I ran the board for 7 years, and it seems to me that we have the right to continue leaving Blue out as long as he’s not a nuisance. If he was, believe me, I wouldn’t be typing this. But there have been absolutely NO complaints about him.
Any advice would be welcome.
