You Be The Judge . . .

[Texsox]

 

 

GALVESTON, Texas (AP) -- Jurors on Thursday were weighing the fate of a prominent birdwatcher accused of animal cruelty for shooting a cat that lived under a bridge.

 

The trial has sparked a hot Internet debate between cat lovers who say there's no excuse for killing an animal and birders say that feral cats are the killers. It's also raised questions about what makes an animal a pet, especially if it lives outside.

 

If convicted, Jim Stevenson could face up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

 

Stevenson, the founder of the Galveston Ornithological Society, has admitted he shot the cat last fall because he saw it hunting a threatened species of bird near the San Luis Bridge Pass.

 

Defense attorney Tad Nelson said his client thought the cat was a stray. A state law bars the killing of domesticated animals without the owner's permission.

 

But prosecutors have argued that a toll bridge worker fed the cat and gave it toys and bedding and named it "Mama Cat," effectively becoming the pet's owner. And they say Stevenson could have easily realized that if he'd looked around the bridge before firing the fatal shot.

 

While the jury deliberated, Stevenson told The Associated Press that he thoroughly researched local and state law and thought long and hard about what he should do before he killed the cat.

 

He said he decided to shoot it because he believed it was a threat to the birds. But he said he also felt sorry for the animal.

 

The bridge, Stevenson said, "is a revolving door for cats. Dozens and dozens of cats go through there and disappear. They're getting run over ... they're getting killed by coyotes. It's no life for a cat out there."

 

In her closing arguments on Thursday, assistant district attorney Paige Santell called the cat's death a "terrible thing that did not have to happen."

 

The cat suffered for nearly 40 minutes after Stevenson shot it in the back with a .22-caliber rifle and severed its spine, Santell said. And John Newland, the bridge worker who cared for the cat and several others, is still suffering the loss of a beloved companion, she added.

 

"What he did was uncalled for," Santell said.

 

Nelson said his client wouldn't have killed the cat if he knew it belonged to somebody, but he couldn't see its food dish from his van.

 

He urged the jurors to set aside their feelings about the cat's death and focus on the law. And he said buying some food and toys for a cat doesn't make you the owner if you haven't taken other steps such as having the animal spayed or neutered or purchasing a collar and tags.

 

"He loves the cats. He doesn't own the cats," Nelson said of Newland.

 

A revision of the cruelty law that took effect Sept. 1 broadens protection to stray animals, but the law came too late for Stevenson's case.

 

 

[Soxbadger]

Convict.

 

We have things like the pound etc to take care of stray animals. If we let people just start shooting cats, dogs, etc, where does it end?

 

[Texsox]

Convict.

 

We have things like the pound etc to take care of stray animals. If we let people just start shooting cats, dogs, etc, where does it end?

 

It is legal in Texas to shoot ferel cats. Just like shooting hogs, deer, javelinas, coyotes, doves, geese, and other animals.

[EvilMonkey]

I would certainly like to shoot the OWNERS of some cats, those who let them outside at night to roam my yard. I know there was a story of a guy who would trap cats in his yard and release them about 10 miles away the next morning. There is a reason they are called house cats. As for this guy, he should not have shot the cat. I understand the temptation, but that close to a bridge, too many chances for things to go wrong.

 

The cat is lucky Squirt wasn't around, he might have eaten it in front of the tollway workers just for giggles.

Edited November 15, 2007 by Alpha Dog

[FlaSoxxJim]

It is legal in Texas to shoot ferel cats. Just like shooting hogs, deer, javelinas, coyotes, doves, geese, and other animals.

 

Still not legal to shoot Chupacabrae though?? They better change that law or you'll be overrun in no time.

 

 

[sox4lifeinPA]

no death penalty?

 

 

c'mon texas, you're going soft....

 

 

 

 

 

 

(that's what she said)

[ChiSox_Sonix]

Someone told me in NYS it is legal to shoot a dog which is chasing after a deer...i dont see much of a difference here if this cat was truly a threat to an endangered species of bird. If it was a stray and was a pest, shooting it is not the best course of action (as someone said there are pounds), but if it is legal in Texas to shoot feral animals then i legally i can see his case for doing what he did. (Just so i dont get jumped on i am not necessarily backing him up morallly or ethically, just legally)