Alleged neighborhood cat dumper should be cited

I recently spent months corresponding with Central California Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Fresno Police Department and Fresno District Attorney’s office trying to get action about my neighbor, who traps cats.

Trapping cats is legal if the homeowner takes the cat to CCSPCA, as required by city ordinance Section 10-321. Instead, he takes them somewhere else and releases them, which by definition, is abandonment. Abandoning any animal is also a violation of the California Penal Code, Malicious Mischief, 597s (a) and under this code is crime punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 or confinement in a county of up to six months or both.

I was taken aback by the “pass the buck” attitude of all the agencies that should be in charge of enforcing the laws, regulations and ordinances. The CCSPCA said it was a police matter. The police said they couldn’t do anything without evidence. The District Attorney’s office said they were passing it back to CCSPCA. Meanwhile, the homeowner is teaching his children that abandoning animals is OK.

Can anyone tell me whose responsibility it is to enforce these animal-cruelty ordinances, codes and laws? And why will no one take any responsibility?

This story was originally published September 23, 2016 at 4:02 PM with the headline "Alleged neighborhood cat dumper should be cited."