'I want her to be happy': Victoria cat owner responds to trespassing fine
Victoria cat owner Ramon Correa says he was stunned to receive a fine from the city after a neighbour complained about his cat trespassing on their property.
The neighbour had reported the cat, Narki, to Victoria Animal Control three times in about as many months.
The one-year-old cat was named after the word "cat" in Mapudungun, a Chilean Indigenous language.
The first time Narki was reported trespassing on the property, she was picked up by animal control officers until she was collected at the pound. After the third time, Correa received the $150 fine.
"The first time I was travelling, I was on my holidays, and my roommates had to go and rescue her," he says. "And then she did it again. But this time she didn't end up in jail. I just got the fine."
Narki the cat is pictured.
NEIGHBOUR'S CONCERNS
Victoria Animal Control told CTV News that the neighbour was concerned because the cat was seen around their chicken coop, and they feared for their birds' safety.
But Correa says Narki, who is just one year old, is too small to attack a chicken. He says she attacks mice sometimes, which are common in the area, but has never brought in any other type of animal.
"I'm not advocating for anybody else, just my cat," he says. "I want her to be happy. I love my cat, I love my animals, and she doesn’t hurt anybody. She's never dragged a chicken in, she's never dragged a bird or any other animal."
Correa says he uses a spray bottle filled with water to remove other neighbourhood cats from his property, and he wished that his neighbour would consider doing the same, instead of calling animal control.
He says he's not sure what the solution is, saying that some people support having outdoor cats while others are against it.
"It's about balance," he says. "You can't tell me after 15 years of being a cat owner that I can't have my cat running around all of a sudden."
If Narki continues to visit his neighbour's backyard, Victoria Animal Control says Correa may be on the hook for more $150 fines. The fines and penalties do not increase with each offense.
"Narki is really sweet. Anybody can pick her up," says Correa. "She brings joy and happiness to all my neighbours. Or most of my neighbours, I should say."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.