Alley Cat Allies takes a stand in court when cats are threatened by dangerous or even lethal government policies, or when they are victims of animal cruelty. This fall saw major legal victories that will set a critical precedent to protect and improve cats’ lives into the future.
Charges Against Ohio Caregiver Dropped
Alley Cat Allies took swift legal action when a community cat caregiver in Parma, Ohio, was threatened with nearly one year of jail time and over $2,000 in fines for doing Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) in her community. An attorney working with Alley Cat Allies represented the caregiver in court and, in October, all charges against her were DISMISSED.
The City of Parma tried to claim the caregiver was the owner of the cats and impose charges related to ownership on her. However, community cats are unowned; the people who care for them are just good Samaritans providing a public service. We made that reality clear in court, and in so doing so set an important precedent in law to protect caregivers throughout Ohio.
People should never be penalized for taking positive and proven action for cats and their community. Compassion is not a crime, and Alley Cat Allies stands with cats and caregivers the world over.
Community Cats Now Protected Under Ohio Law
We won! In a unanimous decision, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that Ohio’s companion animal cruelty law (R.C. 959.131) protects ALL cats and dogs as “companion animals.” Alley Cat Allies filed an amicus brief in this case, which helped inform the Court’s decision.
This is a huge step forward! In the simplest terms, we helped the Ohio Supreme Court decide that the law protects both owned and unowned cats equally, and that animal cruelty against community cats is not lesser than cruelty against an owned cat. This will affect the outcome of cruelty cases across Ohio and ensure justice is truly served.
Our amicus brief was related to the case of Igor, a kitten who may be a community cat and was subjected to a cruel and damaging act. In Igor’s case, there was an attempt to interpret the cruelty law and the definition of “companion animal” as only applying to cats or dogs who are “kept” in a way that would exclude virtually all community cats.
The Ohio Supreme Court rejected that interpretation and decided all cats and dogs, no matter what, are companion animals and protected by the law. Our amicus brief explained why this was the correct decision, and the Ohio Supreme Court agreed!
Justice for Mr. Meow: Killer Sentenced to 14 Years
In September 2024, Colton Fontes was sentenced to 14 years in prison for felony animal cruelty related to killing tabby cat Mr. Meow in 2022 and several other highly disturbing charges including rape and sexual battery.
According to the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office, the investigation into the shooting and killing of Mr. Meow helped make Fontes’ arrest for the other charges possible. “Sheriff’s Detectives note that the investigation into Fontes’ pending alleged animal cruelty case provided important investigative leads and assistance to Investigators in this joint investigation,” the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release.
Alley Cat Allies has been involved in Mr. Meow’s case since March 2022, when the beloved cat was viciously shot to death in his neighborhood in Copperopolis, California. We have stayed engaged with every court date and with key individuals, including Mr. Meow’s family. Throughout the case, we have called for the maximum possible sentence and prison time for Mr. Meow’s killer and all perpetrators of animal cruelty.
We applaud Calaveras County for taking Mr. Meow’s case seriously and are glad that justice has been served. We will continue to pursue justice in other cases of animal cruelty. Learn how you can join our fight.