‘Any cat that goes on my property, I trap it and it disappears’ – Florida man

OPINION and comment on the latest news. Background: we know that in the United States there are many property owners who hate domestic and stray cats wandering onto their property. Cats can wander as they wish and there is no concept of trespassing for the humble domestic cat. This irritates a lot of people. Cat owners cannot be held vicariously liable for the ‘trespassing’ of their cat. This can lead to frustrated cat haters killing cats. Here is an example from sunny Florida of a man ‘disappearing cats’.

David Carpozzi lives in Hollywood, Florida which is about 20 miles from Miami. He proudly admits to spiriting away cats. This surprises me but it does not shock me. But it has caused outrage among a section of Floridian society.

The thing is, though, Carpozzi has potentially admitted to a quite serious crime. His response when challenged was not an out-and-out admission of killing cats which I think is deliberate to try avoid prosection.

If it can be proved that he has killed them he would be committing criminal damage and animal cruelty against owned cats. As for the non-owned cats, you are ostensibly committing animal cruelty. Both acts can be prosecuted under the general US and Floridian criminal code – IF he killed them.

In Florida they allow property owners to trap cats who trespass but they have to take the animal to the local animal shelter. Makes sense. Killing cats willy-nilly is a crime, period unless under relatively rare exceptions specified under the local or national law.

Carpozzi’s neighbour, Eda Lourdes Amador, a few houses down has distributed fliers in the area after discovering what he was doing.

‘I have been posting all over the trees and the block so that people are aware, if their cat is missing to go and look at his house in the trap,’ she said.

And confronted Carpozzi accusing him of trapping cats who’ve disappeared. She videoed the encounter during which he made the startling admission.

He admitted it:

I am. Any cat that goes on my property, I trap it and it disappears.

I should think that Amador is delighted with his response. She’s got him ‘bang to rights’ (positive proof of guilt) as they say but can the police become involved?

It is sinister behavior as Carpozzi is engaged in a war against the cat’s for Florida. He baits them with food and catnip to speed up their capture.

Carpozzi was subsequently confronted by a Local 10 reported and denied it! I am not surprised. He realised that he had been careless.

Amador rightly said that all of the neighbourhood indoor/outdoor cats are at risk of being trapped and spirited away (killed?) by Carpozzi.

Another neighbour’s daughter has cried ‘every night’ over the loss of her cat.

Amador said that he needs to be stopped. Correct. And it is the duty of the police to achieve that objective by first investigating.

Carpozzi made the admission to Amdor’s husband Richard Lothian.

Yeah, when they free reign on my property, they disappear. Just so you know, you’ll never see them again.

That sounds like killing cats to me. But he avoids that admission.

Lothian tried to get a court injunction to stop him but it didn’t work as the judge wanted Carpozzi in court and he did not turn up. Note: you can obtain ‘ex parte’ injunctions when the defendant is not present.

There it is; the latest version of cat hating from America. It happens all over the world. Florida is quite right wing, isn’t it? Those on the political right wing are obviously more likely to take offence to wandering, trespassing domestic and stray cats.

Source: Dail Mail – thanks.