Neighbor shoots GF’s cat (cat fine). “Iron Curtain of Mid-GA" work starts tomorrow.

The BBQ Pit
1

This is a long weekend for me. I’m temporarily in Alabama for a 5-week class where I happen to run into a few friends from around the Air Force, and one of my roommates from college. Being Monday’s a federal holiday here, I ask one of my Minot buds if he wants to hang at my home in Georgia for the weekend. So, yesterday, we get to my place and my girlfriend cooks a great big dinner for the three of us. I light a fire in the chimnea, crack a few beers, and settle in for a relaxing weekend. Good times indeed!

This morning, we all get up and I go out to the back deck to cook omelets for everyone. Girlfriend has two cats—both indoor cats. One wants to meander curiously outside, and poke around a bit, being she’s in a new neighborhood and such. I’m cooking omelets, and she’s on the deck. I finish cooking, she comes inside.

After brunch, at about 10:30, I sit down here to surf the Dope for a bit, when I hear this helluva commotion. I hop up and step into the hallway when the girlfriend screams, “Trip, ‘Jimbo’* shot Pipsqueak!!”

Not knowing what she’s talking about or where the cat is, I get out to the back deck where my neighbor is standing out on the back deck. I don’t immediately see any gun, but I ask, “What the fuck happened?” “I didn’t know your girlfriend let her cats out of the house. I saw the cat in my backyard by the bird feeder, and shot it in the butt. I only gave it four pumps though, Trip. . .” He thought Pipsqueak, who had never been outside more than 10 minutes, was going to attack a bird feeder in his back yard.

Knowing what to do, I just shut my yap and walk back inside. I’m in ‘Damage Control Mode’ now. I find my gal cradling the cat in the bathroom and everything is fine at first. Pipsqueak is caterwauling in pain. Girlfriend and I are thinking she got zapped real bad but everything ought to be okay. . .

. . . until girlfriend pulls her hand back and we see blood.

That’s when my girlfriend breaks down into shock. I’ve seen this before and I realize this is gonna be a bad day: I have two victims, the cat, and my girlfriend. Immediately I’m on the phone to various veterinary clinics (on a Sunday, mind you) and find one up in Macon that is open for emergencies but only after 1:PM. As I’m calling around, I’m leaving messages to Vets asking them to call me back for a wounded cat. After a few more phone calls, one calls me back and agrees to meet me. After I get off the phone with him, I call the non-emergency number to the Police, and let ‘em know what’s going on. As GF and I are pulling down the street, we see them, flag them down and give initial statements. I tell them that my buddy is still at the house and they proceed on to my place and the neighbors.

We get to the vet’s. Fortunately, Pipsqueak is alive and will be fine. What I originally thought was just a glancing zap was wrong: she’s got the BB lodged in the muscle in her rear right hip, and as the doc explained, digging it out (like they would do with humans) would most likely do her more harm than good. He X-rayed her and sure enough, there it is, just fractions of an inch from her abdominal wall, but away from bones or anything dangerous. She’s wearing it now, and will for the rest of her life.

The kind doc gives us antibiotics for her and some painkillers, as well as a clean bill ‘o’ health. We head home, and let her go in the house. Last I checked the one victim is doing fine and sheltered in the closet avoiding noise and people—rightfully so. My ‘other victim’ is taking a nap right now, since she’s just tired and emotionally spent. I’ll be grilling dinner for us tonight, and wearing my flak jacket and helmet as I do so (well, not really. The girlfriend doesn’t want me to, and I can understand.) Currently and obviously, we’re not on speaking terms with ‘Jimbo’, and I’m sure his wife is just mortified. We’ll politely let this go for a few days and let them come to apologize. When that happens (I am sure it will), we’ll give them the vet bill and ask them to cover it.

More to follow, but I must say that as a responsible gun owner, he fucked up. I fail to see the threat of a fourteen pound domesticated cat to a 60-year old man standing high over the backyard on a deck 50 feet away. Fucking dumbass.

Construction on the New Iron Curtain begins in the morning, and donations will be accepted through your local TripCo Inc. field office. Those donating $10 or more will have their name etched on a cinder block for the foundation of the barbed wire fence. Those donating $100 or more in the next week will have their name worn on the back of sentries guarding the border.

Note: * Names changed temporarily. Also, Jimbo is retired Navy, and ought to know better anyway. This is the same guy that has been intruding on certain personal spaces: the very reason I got so good at hanging blinds in five minutes. Dead and Lichen It is still on, and we’re planning for some time in March.

Tripler
Checkpoint Charlie indeed.

2

The poor cat! Jimbo sounds like a stupid wanker.

3

If there was no ordinance violated by the cat being lose, then take the fuckhead to court and get your money back for vet bills. You might get additional damages too.

And it doesn’t matter if he’s retired Navy either. All that means is he’s retired Navy, not that he’s a firearms expert, intelligent, not a sociopath, or anything else.

4

The delicate balance which I feel I have to maintain is this: Our houses are literally seperated by yards, and I see them on a daily basis around their house. I do not want to poison the immediate neighborhood with these bad feelings, but I’ll be damned if they won’t pay for what he’s fucked up. I’m waiting for them to come to us and apologize, and I think it’ll be the wife first–which is fine with me.

At that point, I will ask them to pay for the vet bill. I will take it from there.

Bottom line, he fucked up, and he knows it. I want to get through this one, and move on. I ought not live in fear or hatred in my own home.

Tripler
Cat’s still doing fine. Drained girlfriend is still napping. I’m letting both snooze and recover tonight.

5

You’re the last person I would have expected to say this, Una. The neighbor seemed remorseful and he should be given the opportunity to do the right thing before the Courts need to be involved. Obviously, no one should be taking pot shots at random cats but he didn’t try to use lethal force and wouldn’t have done it if he had known it was his neighbor’s cat.

6

I’d show my neighbors any other cats that owned me, while telling them “These are our cats, they are indoors only. We only let them out in the yard if we are there. If you see them out, but don’t see us, come get us and tell us so please?” Just as a CYA measure. This way, they don’t have the excuse of not realizing they are your cats.

7

I’m very glad kitty is ok, and that he only shot her with a bb gun and not a .22. And please don’t get me wrong, I’m a cat lover and would never harm an animal but…

The cat was in his backyard, presumably stalking birds at the bird feeder. While I would be more likely to chase away an unwanted feline visitor with a loud noise or a squirt from a hose, I have to say that I think the guy was perfectly within his rights to protect his own property. It sounds like he didn’t know the cat was yours; he assumed he had a stray in his yard.

If he feels bad enough he might offer to pick up the vet bill, but I think your girlfriend is just as culpable here, for not making sure kitty stayed in her own yard.

8

Because the guy owns all birds? Because the bird feeder was in danger of being looked at by a cat?

It’s just a frickin’ bird feeder! That the cat was by. Not on. Not destroying. Near.

Cripes.

:rolleyes:

9

What did the police say or do? Most places I’ve lived prohibited using a firearm in a residential neighborhood.

10

More likely in his yard potentially going to stalk any birds that came to the feeder. That is much less justified. I don’t think shooting the cat with a bb gun (which can still be lethal) is justified at all. IANAL, but I don’t think stray cats count as “varmints” and as such I don’t think that the neighbor would be allowed to kill them. I think the neighbor might be looking at cruelty to animals charges, and discharging a bb gun inside the city limits at the least. He’s probably facing fines. (In Kansas at least I am given to understand you can get rid of varmints like squirrels in your attic or pidgeons in your eaves with a bb gun in city limits, as long as you are careful.)

11

This is classic. Simply classic. However, I do have to step back and make the disclaimer that “you weren’t there”/“maybe I didn’t explain it enough”.

We have a 12 year old cat, that has never spent any time outside. She can’t jump except onto the couch and bed–certainly not up the three feet of the pole to a bird feeder. In this case, even if she were younger and ‘stalking’ them, birds could have flown away. But no, ‘Jimbo’s’ gotta prove a point to the neighborhood.

So, I’m going to leave the ball in their court, and let him be a man about it.

Tripler
And at last check five minutes ago, Squeak is still fine.

12

It wasn’t a firearm. It was a bb gun powered by air pressure.

13

You aren’t allowed to discharge even those in these parts, unless you are getting rid of varmints, and do it responsibly. I think the statute (City?) is written in such a way that children aren’t allowed to discharge bb guns in the city limits at all, period. I might be mistaken on that point though.

14

  1. I saw no report of any remorse. Was there another thread? I saw no apology either.

  2. The cat was not actually doing anything. It was by a bird feeder. It was not in the act of doing anything as far as we know. We don’t even know if there was a history of it doing anything.

  3. I made an exception if an ordinance was violated.

  4. The neighbor decided to play Boys with Toys and shoot a cat that, from the OP’s report, didn’t seem to be doing anything. If the cat is not in violation of an ordinance, and was not causing damage to the neighbor’s property, and has not been reported to cause damage to the neighbor’s property, then IMO the neighbor was entirely in the wrong.

From the evidence presented, the guy was in the wrong and should have legal remedies applied against him, because it seems like he was not offering to “man up” and pay the bills. If it develops that he does voluntarily make things good, then sure, keep it out of the courts. The OP doesn’t want to pursue that, and so it looks like the event is at an end. IIRC, in my city there is no leash law for cats, and a person who deliberately shot a pet cat, even with an air rifle, could have criminal charges brought against them by the police. Methinks the neighbor could be getting off very easy in this.

I’m sorry to let you down, but that’s how I feel.

15

There is no call for shooting a gun at a cat like he did. I am not excusing that. When Trip ran outside, Neighbor immediately admitted what happened and explained himself. Not exactly an apology but he didn’t run in the house and hide either. It’s just been a day. He should be given the chance to man up before papers are filed. That’s all I’m saying.

As far as laws being broken, I have no idea if they were or not in that area but the police have been informed and they’ll hopefully act appropriately.

16

I don’t see how we’re that far apart here then. I could almost have written your post. :confused:

17

In your first post you sounded like you wanted him to immediately sue regardless. Now that you’ve explained further, it does look like we’re on the same page. You can hop back up on that pedestal. :slight_smile:

18

Tripler’s girlfriend here to check in…
I wouldn’t call the cat’s condition ‘fine’, personally.
Pipsqueak’s wound is still bleeding some and she’s clearly in pain as she hobbles from safe place to place, under things to hide her. She’ll need a daily antibiotic for a week or so and has a painkiller for the next couple of days. I’m concerned for her falling on her bad side in the litter pan as she can’t hold up her right side yet and she’ll no doubt be more sore tomorrow morning. I have wipes to clean the wound out when necessary. I have her blood on my shirt, a blanket and various spots on the carpet. I’ve had this cat since she was 6 weeks old.
When I heard the pop of the pellet gun (which **is ** against local ordinance to discharge in this city), I ran outside and saw her coming up the deck stairs, wide eyed in fear and dragging her hind end as best she could. Asshole neighbor was standing on his deck, gun in hand. It was clear what had happened and I asked him where he’d shot her. He said she was in his backyard. I yelled at him, “Where ON her did you shoot her??” “Oh, her butt.”
This is **not ** his first time seeing her, she and I go on the back deck for a few minutes each morning and they’re usually out at the same time having coffee. He’s a heavy drinker, though, so that may affect his memory.
One of the things that galls me is his implication to Tripler that he wouldn’t have shot her had he known she was my cat; so that means he feels it’s acceptable to shoot stranger’s animals?
She’s never gotten a bird. She only eats dry food and doesn’t even want people food. She’s very timid outside and hasn’t gone more than a few feet off the deck until today.
Lastly, the entry of the bb (per the vet) shows they were facing each other when he shot her. What if he’d hit her in the head or neck, God forbid?
IMHO - He shot her because he thinks pets are vermin (his words) and because he likes to shoot his gun at moving targets. He’s a sick fuck and I wish I could put him through some similar hell.

19

Yeah, the threat posed to his property by a geriatric cat.

Get a fucking sense of perspective, moron.

20

Maybe next thing the neighbor will do is start to shoot the birds trying to drink* his* water.