Woman Whose Kitten was Euthanized Suing MCAS

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Cat Euthanized after Nine Minutes at Shelter

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Published: 3/12 12:27 pm

Updated: 3/12 11:02 pm

MOBILE, Ala. (WPMI) A woman whose pet kitten was mistakenly euthanized at the Mobile County Animal Shelter is suing the county.

Kaitlyn Hughes' kitten Porkchop was taken to the shelter by her neighbor after it got loose, and euthanized less than 10 minutes after being dropped off.

Hughes' attorney has sent the county a letter informing them he "plans to file suit against all of those at the County Animal Shelter responsible for the death of the kitten." The letter claims the shelter committed wanton negligence and the "kitten was killed for no legitimate reason."

"It's going to hold them accountable to some degree and if anything get some sort of justice for Porkchop," Hughes told Local 15. "If something doesn't change there this is going to happen again."

Hughes said when she went to the shelter to pick up Porkchop, the shelter staff gave her the run-around and claimed they never admitted Porkchop. After putting pressure on the shelter, Hughes said an assistant manager "found" Porkchop's file, brought her outside and told her what happened.

"After he told me that, I was just not in a good state of mind," Hughes said.

Hughes said the internal investigation into the euthanization was slanted and lacking.

"They didn't have anyone from the outside come in and investigate and hold them accountable," Hughes said. "It was what was kept out of the report that really bothered me."

According to an investigation into the incident, shelter employees claimed Porkchop was acting "feral" and "aggressive" towards the staff. Hughes' neighbor contends that claim.

"My neighbor said when [shelter employees] put [Porkchop] in the cage, [Porkchop] just sat down and looked up at him, completely calm," Hughes said.

Hughes does not believe her cat's euthanization was an isolated incident and that it's happened before at the Mobile County Animal Shelter, but other pet owners may never have learned the truth.

"[The shelter] thought that I was just going to go away and never find out," Hughes said. "The only reason I found out what happened was because my neighbor told me exactly where he brought my cat. Some other pet owners may not be that lucky, and would just give up when the shelter told them their pet wasn't there."

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The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Local 15

Kal32 - 3/15/2013 12:36 AM

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I'm so glad that Porkchop's owner is suing them! This is the ONLY way they will change - compassion, empathy, even the law isn't enough to make them do their jobs. But sue them? Yeah, that'll FINALLY get their attention. I hope she gets every penny she can out of them. They killed her cat, for heaven's sake. A member of her family. Killed without so much as a second thought. Like putting a file in a file box. If that isn't evil, I don't know what is.

Kaitlyn Hughes - 3/13/2013 3:13 PM

2 Votes

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That would be awesome if you could sign an affidavit and possibly help us out. Could you email me at keh804@jagmail.southalabama.edu? Thank you!

grits - 3/13/2013 1:32 PM

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Kaitlyn,my cat was picked up on a Friday. I called MCAS Monday morning and was told no cat matching her description was picked up. I called again to check a few days later (more than once) and was referred to the "adoption" website. When I called my neighbor to ask him to check his shed, he admitted what they had done, but would not tell me exactly who picked her up. I went down to MCAS to look at the adoptable cats. It was only after my neighbor showed me her paper with the date of pick-up on it, and I called MCAS back with their name and address and the date, that MCAS told me they would check their records and call me back. A woman did call me back and told me that they had euthanized my cat as soon as she was brought in because as far as they knew, she was feral, and that was their policy. She said my neighbor told them she was a stray. I told her my neighbor had lied, that my cat was spayed and had her shots, and I thought they were supposed to keep animals for a few days in case someone claimed them. She said they did not have the facilities to keep feral animals. I asked why I was not told she was brought in when I had called before, and was told it was because they believed the cat to be feral and not a pet. I told her that all cats, when cornered in a cage and feeling threatened, will act "feral." If they had put her in a larger cage, I know she would have calmed down. I don't want to go on the news with this, but I would be willing to sign an affidavit or help your attorney any other way I can.

Mayhem Man - 3/13/2013 10:40 AM

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What I find appaling is that the County has not come forward and even offered an apology as far I have seen. The County must support these atrocities because they haven't codemned the actions publicly and refused to comment. Who is responsible for that killing facility? Is protecting their jobs worth more than coming forward and doing the right thing and admitting that this is not the waay a animal shelter is supposed to be ran? There is no defense in what happened to the kitten and silence from the county and shleter speaks volumes. BTW... who names a kitten "Porkchop" anyways? I would think that would be a cool pet pig name. Anyways I hope that Ms Hughes gets some sort of justice and monetary award because she deserves it and this facility gets their act together and soon becomes a animal shelter instead of a Mobile County sponsored death chamber for pets and other animals.

Kaitlyn Hughes - 3/13/2013 10:03 AM

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My neighbor did not call animal control. He did not trap my kitten either. Porkchop sat outside his door, so my neighbor let him inside for a little while. When his roommate found out, he told him he didn't want a cat and they needed to take him to the shelter. My neighbor took Porkchop to the shelter in the hope that he would be reunited with his owner or he would possibly find a new home. My issue is with the shelter, not my neighbor. And, in response to the comment about your cat being trapped and taken to MCAS to be euthanized, you should come forward! This is exactly why they keep getting away with killing our pets - because nobody is calling them out on it! Their policy clearly states that any animal that is not sick, injured, or dangerous should be held for 7 days for the owner to have a chance to claim it. But, if they see a trap OR if it's getting close to closing time, they immediately euthanize. The reason I'm doing this is because I know it's not the only case (obviously, since there is another comment on here to prove it) and I do not want it to happen to somebody else's pet. Even if we don't win, the county will hopefully be angry enough to never want to have to deal with something like this again, and they will change how things are being run at the shelter.

grits - 3/13/2013 9:26 AM

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The same thing happened to me last May. My neighbor got a trap from the MCAS, lured my cat into it, and called them to pick her up. She knew the cat was mine, but lied and told them it was a stray. Upon discovering she was missing, I called the shelter several times over the next few days to see if they had picked up a cat by her description. I was told no and referred to the "adoption" website. I even went there once to view the cats. My neighbor finally admitted what she did, and only then did the shelter tell me that yes, they picked up the cat and euthanized her upon bringing her in because they were told she was a stray and she was "feral." My gentle little cat was probably scared to death, as any cat would be in a cage taken off by strangers. When I asked why they had not held her in case someone came to claim her, I was told they did not have the facilities for handling "feral" animals.

poohjenn - 3/13/2013 8:30 AM

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While I understand her anger towards the shelter, why is she not suing the neighbor for putting the cat in the situation in the first place? If the cat wasn't behaving "feral", as the neighbor says, why call animal control? I'd be more upset with the neighbor!

musiclady - 3/12/2013 8:01 PM

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I am SO, SO sorry that this happened to you. You must be devastated! Good luck to you- you deserve to win this. Sounds like this place needs to be closed down!

DavidAnthony - 3/12/2013 6:45 PM

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The employees at this place DISGUST me. First they kill every single dog without ANY proof that the dog(s) were infected with distemper, just thought it was a possible case... Now they KILL an innocent kitten without even giving it a chance at being claimed or adopted. I wish the ASPCA would come in and clean them out. Every employee should be gone from that killing factory. If ever I win the lottery or the jackpot, you can guarantee that I will not choose MCAS as a place for my donations. I will give it directly to the Humane Society of South Mississippi. Everyone out there looking for a new addition to their family should make the drive and give them a look. They are a complete opposite of MCAS. NO KILL TO ANY ADOPTABLE ANIMAL!

Theaddora - 3/12/2013 5:56 PM

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I hope she wins.

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