Free Lewis
This is Lewis. I first learned about Lewis from Michael K over at Dlisted. Lewis is the subject of some controversy in his neighborhood of Sunset Circle in Fairfield, CT. You can watch the news report on Lewis here, but if that doesn't work, here's the story:
(CBS) FAIRFIELD, Conn. A Connecticut house cat is in the dog house, accused of terrorizing a Fairfield neighborhood. Officials are now taking drastic measures to prevent the ferocious feline from striking again.
There's no ankle bracelet or electronic monitor, but Lewis the house cat is under house arrest. He's accused of attacking a half dozen people in this Fairfield neighborhood during a three-year span. One neighbor claimed she was attacked twice.
"His M.O. is to spring from behind you and what he does is wrap himself around your legs and he bites and scratches," Janet Kettman said.
Lewis was quarantined at least three times by Animal Control officers, but officials said the most recent attack was the final straw. The victim's bite wounds and scratches so severe, she had to be treated at a local hospital.
Lewis' owner is on the defense.
"Everyone who is complaining has a cat. And as you know like a dog, when cat's face off, you can't go near them and that's not been brought out anywhere," Ruth Cisero said.
The restraining order initially allowed Lewis to roam the neighborhood during certain hours of the day and night, but the cat apparently broke the rules and his owner ended up getting arrested.
Cisero is now fighting reckless endangerment charges. Even the local Avon lady, attacked last year, has filed a lawsuit against the family in Superior Court.
Rachel Solveira, a Fairfield Animal Control officer said, "I was receiving calls every single day from concerned neighbors who were in fear of their children playing outdoors."
But it looks like Lewis' view of the outside is now from the inside -- for the rest of his nine lives.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Needless to say, I'm pro-Lewis, and I think the Avon Lady had it coming. You can buy a Free Lewis shirt here. I got the black one. Apparently, proceeds are going to either go to the Humane Society or to Lewis himself (to pay legal fees maybe?). For me, it's more a spiritual crusade.
posted by LA @ 1:45 PM
11 Comments:
I'm pro-Lewis, too.
Then again, I was also on the side of the library cat in Escondido a couple years back.
He got in trouble for guarding the door to the library (from the inside) and attacked a doggie.
This article is like 4 years old:
http://www.10news.com/news/744925/detail.html
Lewis Should do what the hell he please's, He just needs some loving
Poor kitty. It's not his fault. He's too cute to be evil.
omg..I saw Lewis on the news...he is a badass. :)
And in my opinion, that is how cats are!
And I love them!
Fee Lou!
ps He looks like a bigger version of my cat, Cow (yes, his name is Cow)
I think Cow is a great name for a b/w cat!
I heard this on the local radio (since I'm from CT) on the drive to work the other day. The DJ's were trying to do a blitzkrieg run into Fairfield and set up an interview with the cat. I actually had no idea it was getting this much attention, with the t-shirts and everything.
B-E-A-utiful.
A house cat with a lion complex!
I've never seen a cat attack a person without being provoked first…
The Avon lady hissed first!!
We had a semi-evil cat named Lewis too. He was the coolest. He got attacked by weimeraners once and took one of their eyes out with his back legs, while the dog was trying to bite him in two. He was a great judge of character, and was a badass who would growl at people he didn't like.
He loved my kids, and would always sleep next to the baby crib. He lived to 18 and died on Christmas Eve, after having a massive stroke. We all cried huge tears. We still miss ol Lewis.
Awww Moonmaid, thanks for sharing the story of your fantastic Lewis!
Mike - Thanks for sending the link for the story about L.C. That lawsuit is insane!
This part in particular makes me hate lawyers:
Espinosa says that the fight caused him mental anguish.
In his claim, Espinosa says that his federal and state constitutional rights were violated and that "...the defendants actions' and subsequent inactions' caused Espinosa to suffer significant lasting, extreme and severe mental anguish and emotional distress including, but not limited to, terror, humiliation, shame, embarrassment, mortification, chagrin, depression, panic, anxiety, flashbacks, nightmares, loss of sleep.
I smell legalese all over that.
There was a cat that lived at Seal Beach City Hall some time ago (I think he is since deceased). During some city election for some low level official, there was a grass-roots movement to write-in the cat's name (which I no longer recall). He had a several dozen votes, as I recall. He might as well have won as far as I'm concerned. Yes, that was a political editorial. ;)
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