Town To Woman: Get Rid Of 12 Cats
Town Limits Cats Per Household To 3
POSTED: 5:54 pm EDT October 22,
2009
UPDATED: 6:33 pm EDT October 22,
2009
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DUDLEY, Mass. -- A local woman may mean well, but the town of Dudley said 15 cats is just too many.
Town To Woman: Get Rid Of 12 Cats There is a rule in the town that limits the number cats per household to three, and Mary Ellen Richards has been ordered to get rid of 12 of her cats."Absolutely I was shocked because we've been here 11 years and never knew of it," she said of the rule.At least one neighbor complained because the Richards' cats leave feces behind."It’s in our mulch, and it stinks very bad," neighbor Amy Orn said. "We had no alternative but to go to the town. Unlike dogs, they have leash laws for dogs, but there's nothing for cats."But Richards, who also rescues cats, said there's no proof it was her animals that left the mess. The town issued a $100 a day fine for the extra cats."(The local building inspector said) either take them to other shelters or euthanize them. And I said, 'No. We would rather sell our house than do that to our animals,'" Richards said.The family house is now on the market. Town leaders said she may mean well, but more than three cats is a kennel."It does qualify as a kennel. And not knowing the law does not make you eligible to break the law," Dudley Town Planner Nancy Runkle said.The fines have added up to $1,700 so far.
Town To Woman: Get Rid Of 12 Cats There is a rule in the town that limits the number cats per household to three, and Mary Ellen Richards has been ordered to get rid of 12 of her cats."Absolutely I was shocked because we've been here 11 years and never knew of it," she said of the rule.At least one neighbor complained because the Richards' cats leave feces behind."It’s in our mulch, and it stinks very bad," neighbor Amy Orn said. "We had no alternative but to go to the town. Unlike dogs, they have leash laws for dogs, but there's nothing for cats."But Richards, who also rescues cats, said there's no proof it was her animals that left the mess. The town issued a $100 a day fine for the extra cats."(The local building inspector said) either take them to other shelters or euthanize them. And I said, 'No. We would rather sell our house than do that to our animals,'" Richards said.The family house is now on the market. Town leaders said she may mean well, but more than three cats is a kennel."It does qualify as a kennel. And not knowing the law does not make you eligible to break the law," Dudley Town Planner Nancy Runkle said.The fines have added up to $1,700 so far. Copyright 2010 by TheBostonChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
