Introduction: this is an account of the story about Oliver, the elderly cat unnecessarily euthanized at Odenton Veterinary Hospital, from an entirely different perspective. The author lives in the neighborhood where Oliver lived and has first hand knowledge of what happened. It is fascinating and provides much needed extra information. My thanks to Miss Dee. I decided that her story is credible and worth publishing. I have blanked out (redacted) some personal details in the interests of privacy. [Admin].
Domestic cat bit veterinary technician at clinic and was immediately “euthanized”
By Miss Dee
The people who live in the neighborhood where Oliver was taken from learned about what happened to him from this website. I have lived in this Beechfield neighborhood in southwest Baltimore for 13 years and know most of the people from walking my dog, so let me set the record straight. Oliver’s owners are Leroy and Kathy Wright who live at XXXX. White pages list their numbers as XXXXXX and XXXXXX (redacted by Admin). They neglected and abandoned that cat years ago and left him outside 24/7 in all kinds of weather just like many other people in this neighborhood have abandoned their cats.
Oliver was a domesticated cat and used to being around people. He was friendly and liked to be petted. He did not have rabies, and he never bit nobody here. None of the stray cats in this neighborhood have rabies, but some of them are feral.
A few weeks ago, a lady who lives around the corner in the 500 block of Queensgate Rd. called Kaitlin Neal to come and get some stray kittens. After that, Kaitlin began setting metal cat traps around this neighborhood. She talked to some of the people who live here and told them what she was doing. She said she worked at some animal shelter in Severn MD and she be giving her name and phone number (410-269-3081) to people telling them to call her about getting rids of the cats. She told these people that she puts the kittens up for adoption and finds them good homes and that she has the adult cats spayed and then returns them to the neighborhood. She also said she has caught about a dozen cats here.
I looked her up and found online that she some manager of a place called House With a Heart Senior Dog Sanctuary in Severn at this link http://www.capitalgazette.com/lifestyle/pets/ph-ac-cn-senior-dog-sanctuary-1016-20161015-story.html; Also calls itself Senior Dog Sanctuary. She on Facebook and list her email as kaitlin.neal@sdsanctuary.com.
There are several people who live in Beechfield who are retired and home all day, and they see everything that happens and they have been talking about it. They saw Kaitlin come several time in her blue car last two or three weeks to set up and collect the cat traps. Kaitlin may think she has good intentions, but her methods are not proper and illegal. Neighbors said they saw her putting the cat traps behind a blue dumpster that sits at the end of a small parking lot in the alley behind the 553-541 block of South Wickham Rd. The other side of the alley is the 514-528 block of Queensgate. Kaitlin was breaking the law because she set up this trap on private property. The dumpster and parking lot are on land owned by the company that manages the Williston Street Townhouse apartment complex. Their office number is 410-646-1616. Kaitlin did not get their permission to put her traps on their property. You can look up these address on Google maps and see the alley for yourself.
Some people let her put the cages on their property but others didn’t. One lady that lives in the same block as the Wright family let her put one on her porch and in her backyard. I was walking my dog last Sunday morning and saw this little cat trapped in the one on the porch. He was violently banging himself around in that metal contraption and there was no way to get him out because it was locked tight.
There’s an elderly lady who live on this block and feed the stray cats, and she told me she saw Kaitlin one evening last trying jiggling the lock and chain on her backyard gate to see if she could get in and set a trap in her backyard. Kaitlin didn’t even ask this lady for permission to come on her property.
I told this lady about the little cat trapped in the cage on her neighbor’s porch on Sunday, and she said she saw it and thought it was cruel. She also told that she has fed Oliver for years, and that he was a nice old cat.
In fact, Oliver was on this lady’s front porch when Kaitlin on Aug. 1 lured him down with a can of cat food she put on the pavement step to the woman’s house. This is the picture that is posted above of Oliver on the sidewalk—the picture that Kaitlin took of Oliver before she grabbed him and put him in a cage. She again broke the law because she was trespassing on this lady’s property without her permission. The Wright family who live a few doors down saw her doing it. They told Kaitlin they owned Oliver, which is why Kaitlin knew the cat’s name, and asked her what she was doing. She said she would take him to a vet, then bring him back. They didn’t care about Oliver anyway, so they let her take him, but the wife told Kaitlin to give her the name and number of the vet so they could check on him.
Next day on Aug. 2 in the late afternoon neighbors say they saw Kaitlin come again and set up traps. One behind the blue dumpster in the alley, one in somebody’s backyard, and one on the same persons front porch. The old lady who feeds the cats told me she went outside to ask Kaitlin what she is doing with the cats, and she told her the same thing—that she gets homes for the kittens and has the older ones spayed and returns them to the neighborhood. She also told her that she took Oliver to a vet and he was in bad shape. This elderly lady told her about the little cat trapped in the cage on Sunday on her neighbor’s porch, and that it was cruel, and she told Kaitlin to bring back Oliver because he belonged to someone on the block and he was a nice old cat. At no time did Kaitlin say that the vet in Odenton MD where she took Oliver had already put him down the day before. She lied to this woman.
She also lied to people because she said she returned the adult cats after they were spayed, but none of those cats were returned to the neighborhood. She lied to the people at the Odenton animal hospital by telling them Oliver was a stray and had no owner because she knew the Wright family was the owner.
After that elderly lady confront Kaitlin about what she was doing with the cats on Aug. 2, Kaitlin has not been seen in the neighborhood since. She came back either later that night or very early the next morning to pick up the traps so nobody would see her.
Like I said, people in this neighborhood just found out what happened to Oliver on this website. The old lady told me on last Friday evening that she asked the cat’s owner if Kaitlin brought Oliver back yet, but he said no. So even though Kaitlin and the Odenton animal hospital knew that he was dead, they never contacted his owner.
Kaitlin is right that Oliver was let down first and foremost by his owners. People get cute kittens for their kids all the time around here, but throw them out of the house when they get big or leave them behind when they move away, and the Wrights are no exception. They are to blame the most for their heartlessness.
But Kaitlin is to blame as well, coming into this neighborhood to trap cats by luring them into cages with cans of food where they get stuck for an entire day in the extreme heat here lately or all night till she came to get them. She broke the law by trespassing on private property without getting permission to capture the cats. She can’t be forgiven for lying to everybody that she was going to return the adult cats once they were spayed, because she had no intention of doing this. She lied to the vet about not knowing Oliver’s owner. She lied to people in the neighborhood about Oliver when she knew that he was already put down by the vet. She right not to come back here and show her face in this neighborhood for lying and not telling the cat’s owner about his death.
The Odenton animal hospital is to blame for putting down Oliver claiming that he might have rabies. All vets and technicians that work at animal hospitals must have rabies vaccinations. That a legal requirement. Of course a cat is going to get upset when people start to manhandle him after he’s been held locked in some metal cage. But they didn’t have to kill him. Oliver didn’t deserve none of this.
Update: This is Kaitlin’s version provided in a message to me on FB:
“I trapped this cats as a service to the community and first and foremost for the good of the cats. I have fixed, vaccinated, dewormed, applied flea preventatives AND RERELEASED over a dozen cats in this community on my own dime. The cats are rereleased in the same spot they were caught the day following their surgery per instruction of the veterinarian. I don’t do this for my health, or because I find it fun, simply for the good of the cats and the community. I document every cat with photos and paperwork. Never has a cat been left in a trap during the heat of the day, the traps are checked every 1-2 hours and only used at nighttime/early morning when it is cool.
I set traps on the properties of people who gave me permission to do so. I had neighbors in the community watching the traps. I live over 30 mins from this area and was only helping for the good of the cats while using my own funds. Because of your writing I will now stop helping the cats and instead I’ll call the county to come out and finish the job. The county has strict protocols and any cat with a wound of unknown origin will be in danger of euthanasia, which is why I tried to help myself to begin with. I am saddened for the cats but because false information is being spread I am being harassed and I am putting my families safety first.”
As an RVT in Missouri, the following statement is completely false:
“All vets and technicians that work at animal hospitals must have rabies vaccinations. That a legal requirement.”
I suppose it might be true for their state, but it is incorrect to say “all” and cat it is a “legal requirement”. A day majority of vet techs I know spanning the entire US are not rabies vaccinated because it is very expensive and likely not covered by insurance.
Thank you Jessica for your comment. The article was written by a person not known to me but who had first-hand experience of what went on. Thank you for the correction. I have adjusted your comment as you required in your second comment and deleted your second comment which was simply a way of correcting your first comment.
Only when done I humanely. Kaitlin is either lazy or uninformed on how to trap. All she has to is research it online.
The most disturbing part of this story is her method of trapping. If true, Kaitlin is a lazy trapper and inflicts suffering on the cats trapped. This is NOT TNR. You don’t ever leave a trap/trapped cat all day or all night!! You check your traps and if you don’t get anything you take the trap home!! NEVER leave a trap unchecked for more than an hour( personally I usually ‘sit’ with my trap), let alone 12 or more hours!! This is unfathomable!!! She needs to stop trapping immediately unless she decides to trap humanely.
But all those witnesses did nothing. I question all of this and the only real issue is Oliver obviously needed some medical help and the matts taken off but not one of these now concerned critics ever thought to do it themselves. Not defending the person who left the trap just wondering what it takes to get some people up off their big cracks and do something when they see what was obviously animal abuse.
Someone tried to let the one on the porch out and couldn’t get the door open. It’s the trapper who should know better. And, if she trapped humanely, there would not be issues of concern. I don’t know how Someone tried to let the one on the porch out and couldn’t get the door open. It’s the trapper who should know better. And, if she trapped humanely, there would not be issues of concern. I don’t know how many elderly people you’ve been around but they are not prone and often not mobile enough to do anything. And, the number of people in general who never want to call the police is astounding. I suspect this was also a low-income area…also there’s a tendency to not want to get involved. It IS the lazy trapper, if story’s description is accurate, who is to blame, even though it would be nice that everyone cared…. elderly people you’ve been around but they are not prone and often not mobile enough to do anything. And, the number of people in general who never want to call the police is astounding. I suspect this was also a low-income area…also there’s a tendency to not want to get involved. It IS the lazy trapper, if story’s description is accurate, who is to blame, even though it would be nice that everyone cared….
I have brought up another issue in addition to Oliver. It was included in the story and needs to be addressed. So, no, Oliver is not the only real issue here. Lazy inhumane trapping is going on in Oliver’s neighborhood by the person who took him to the vet where he was wrongfully killed.
As I said on FB I do not excuse the lazy trapper. But it doesn’t matter in this case as Oliver needed vetting and what happened was on the veterinarian.
It’ nice that everyone who witnessed it can now recite the horrors of her trapping but did nothing about it. I see the two issues as connected but separate.
Yes, I also see the two issues as separate but connected. The “prequel” is interesting as it confirms that Oliver was completely domesticated but it also sheds light upon an informal TNR program and how it appears to have gone wrong slightly. It also confirme that Oliver was neglected which is pretty obvious but completely domesticated and friendly and therefore backs up the argument that he should not have been euthanised.
The person who provided the story came forward voluntarily.
Yes, it does appear that the informal TNR program was being carried out in a slightly unprofessional way (if that is a fair description). Both it does not change the central part of the story which Oliver should not have been euthanized by the medical staff. The original story holds up despite the extra information.
At least she was doing something besides ignoring the problem. If someone set a trap on my property without permission they’d find it sitting at the curb.
I don’t think this should become a distraction from the facts.
Oliver had owners who severely neglected his medical needs.
Someone else took it upon herself to try and help him.
A veterinarian broke all protocol and common sense and euthanized Oliver by what amounts to force.
Getting to far off the cat that was murdered simply dilutes the story. There were neglected stray and feral cats in the neighborhood and the people living there likely helped with that population by not using the endless offers of S/N and shot clinics.
Yes, well said ME. Completely agree. I think that this page is another story in point of fact. It’s a story about informal TNR going over the line and being a problem. But it also confirms that Oliver was 100% domesticated and a friendly cat which supports the argument that he should not have been killed at the hospital and that he was perhaps mishandled as well resulting in the biting.
Agreed. Not good. Cruel in fact. It hightlights the dangers of trapping cats it seems to me.
Interesting to say the least.
However regardless of how Oliver was brought to the vet he in no way acted feral and there is still no excuse for what happened at the clinic.
If someone is setting traps on your property without permission or court order/county law you can remove them.
Despite the neighborhood feeling angry that someone was rounding up the stray population why were they tolerant of Oliver’s obvious needs ?
Interesting to note I’ve heard more than one enraged cat owner screaming because their at large cat came home ear tipped.
Most vets now scan all pets. If your pet has a chip there’s a good chance if they get caught in a cat rodeo you’ll get a call.
The neighbors done nothing to stop her. like calling the police or AC and they remind quite a bit of my relatives here with their free roam pets who get all hostile if they think someone is going to mess with them. As they said right before I called brand inspect and animal control on them about the starving horses. They’re ours and we can do what we want.
Try as I might in this story I can’t find evil intent on the rescue.
I feel no remorse for ear tipping a free roaming cat…only pride!! And, our ACO has no sympathy for the ‘owner’ only gratitude towards the TNR volunteers. Here TNR is a volunteer community service program.
No collar, no chip and running loose on the street. If your cat gets vaccinated, wormed. Checked to see if it’s fixed and then ear tipped negligent owners can just deal with it.
Of course, in the UK the no collar, no chip and running freely around the street is very typical. It is not seen as anything other than normal. There is quite an interesting difference in attitude towards these cats between UK and USA. It seems to me that in the USA, as was the case with Oliver, they are seen as feral and dangerous (rabies threat). The trigger to euthanize is readily pulled. Or is that too harsh an assessment?
Feral and stray are often used interchangeably
Yes, they are but I see the phrases meaning different things. They should mean different things even by the different connotations.
I’m not sure if you are referring to Oliver in your statement. Oliver was not freeroaming in the feral cat sense. He was domesticated and therefore he should not have been treated as a feral cat. Therefore we should not be ear-tipped and put through a TNR program
Yes, some cats who are TNR’d are later put up for adoption. Their ears may have been ear tipped when they were spayed or neutered. I’ve seen photos of quite a few. A Community Cat Program may trap, neuter and return cats at large who are trapped. It isn’t necessary that the cat be truly feral. If room allows, they adopt out tame adult cats. Otherwise they just return the cats if the cat appears to have access to food and shelter. This is why many feral cat programs are renamed community cat programs. Guidelines recommend posting flyers or door hangers if TNR is to be conducted in an area to let cat owners know. The aim is to sterilize and vaccinate cats who are free roaming. Usually the trapper uses a vet clinic prepared to handle cats who may exhibit feral behaviour. Cat pictured was TNR’d and lives outside here with another. They displayed fearful, feral behaviour before trapping and while crated before and after surgery. They will now allow us to pet them.
I found a cat with a tipped ear up for adoption on the second page on a major adoption website. I’ve heard of some TNR groups who use an ear tattoo instead, but ear tipping is more common. A tattoo can fade and isn’t visible from a distance.
I think the lady who was doing the TNR and who took Oliver to the vet was as you say careless or lazy but judging by her Facebook statement she was genuinely concerned about Oliver and his treatment at the vets. Therefore it would appear that her motivation was cat welfare.
I think the issue of TNR programs in suburban areas trapping domestic cats and ear tipping them is an interesting one. Obviously it is wrong. In a strict legal sense it is criminal damage and therefore a crime. It goes to highlight the dangers of letting cats roam freely in America where there are far more feral cats than in the UK and where rabies is an active disease whereas in the UK it is not.
There are definitely different attitudes about allowing cats outside between the two countries and I suspect between America and Europeans in general.
The entire story both the prequel and the veterinary treatment somehow encapsulates a lot about attitudes towards the domestic cat, which is why I find it a very interesting story. It could be said that it encapsulates some of the bad attitudes towards domestic and feral cats and highlights the dysfunctionality of the relationship between humans and cats.