'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
What's a Barnacle? It's yellow, sticks and screams if you try to pry it off your car
Barnacles, bright yellow devices used to make sure parking scofflaws pay their tickets, could soon be making their way to cities across Canada.
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. 23 years later, they're still in love.
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Verdun Airbnb listing taken down amid complaints, fines and frustration from neighbours
An Airbnb in Montreal's Verdun borough was the source of much frustration from neighbours who say there were constant parties at the location. It has been taken down from the app, but housing advocates remain upset about short-term rentals.
Fire in Labrador town under control, officials tells residents to stay away
RCMP say the fire that prompted a state of emergency in a Labrador town is now under control.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.