Feral Cat Killer Sentenced

[bertha katzenengel]

In June, behind a Fox TV affiliate's station in Henrico County, VA, Keith Copi, owner of a "Critter Control" franchise, trapped and killed three feral cats who were being cared for by station employees. Today Copi was sentenced for the killings. Sentence seems light to me, but then, you all know who I am. One year in jail (suspended) and $250 fine for each cat.

http://www.alleycat.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=513&srcid=513

The email I got from Alley Cat Allies says that Copi's license was revoked. It's unclear - what license? I think --I hope-- that his business license was revoked, so that he might now be a former Critter Control franchise owner.

I am too, too sensitive these days to have been doing much on behalf of the wild & stray ones. But I'll be involved again, and I'll always stay up to date about what's going on around this issue I care so deeply about.

And I'll keep feeding birds on the deck. ;)

[bertha katzenengel]

1. this link goes to details from Richmond SPCA

http://www.richmondspca.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=9307

[MadrasT]

2. Oh, hi!

Feral cat rescuer (and ACA supporter) here! :hi: I was very glad to see this sentence, having been outraged when it first happened.

[bertha katzenengel]

3. Hey, Madras

:hi: Thanks for helping the kittehs. Hold down the fort while I'm taking a breather, will ya? :)

[MadrasT]

4. Holding

I had to take a breather last fall and winter. Sometimes you have to step back before you lose your mind. Then you're no good to anyone... including teh kittehs.
:pals:

On my last TNR I got 9 pregnant females (too pregnant to spay). Found foster homes for most (so I'm not stuck fostering 9 litters of kittens myself! Eeek!) We (collectively) are having kittehs all over the place... fortunately most of the mommy cats are friendly and will be adoptable YAY!

[BuelahWitch]

5. How absolutely adorable!

Including the kitty in your icon! :hi:

[stuntcat]

8. oh!!

:loveya: sweetness :loveya:

What good kitties, thank you for helping them!

[bertha katzenengel]

10. Nine. Pregnant. Cats.

If I weren't overwhelmed already . . . just thinking of this makes me faint. Thank you for what you do.

We've fostered four litters; maybe more, I've lost count.

Your last pic, that sweet tabby mama, reminds me of Skittles, one of our "indoor feral" adoptees. This was the look on her face whenever I came around her kittens. (I too love torties!)



I love this picture. We kept O'Malley and Miranda (whose name has since become Rat Face):



Gratuitous sweetness:

[stuntcat]

11. omg the Gratuitous sweetness!!

:wow: :wow: :loveya: :loveya:

[Pushed To The Left]

6. Lots of cat-killing threads today on DU! I'm glad to see the perpetrators in both stories were

punished.

[binaryline]

7. Oh, woot!

I adopted my little (now very big!) guy after he ended up at the Richmond SPCA after being in a shelter in Henrico. My gf told me the very sad story of this Copi guy some time after ... how sad that he wasn't sentenced to, you know, additional punches in the face.

[mikeytherat]

9. Ah, typical FOX + locals story from my beloved Richmond.

Good job all around, guys. The dipsticks at FOX could have called Henrico Animal Control - I mean, their tax dollars are already paying for this service. But, no. They call Critter Control, pay for the services, and what is the outcome?

FOX 35 look like even bigger schmucks than they are already (and this was tough to do)
FOX 35 paid for services they could have obtained for free
Local idiot exterminator could have taken the cats to the local shelter (at no cost to him)
Local idiot kills ferals, gets convicted and fined, loses his business license (and, I'd bet, his franchise as Critter Control is less than pleased with this publicity)
Three dead cats who were being cared for by employees

Good job, guys. One more local business I will never use, and a local TV station I'll avoid even more.

mikey_the_rat

[commander bunnypants]

12. He can reapply, sadly

It hapopened near me-bastard

CB