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Last update - 03:10 22/11/2007 Haifa cat lover appeals court's ban on feeding strays By Eli Ashkenazi Tags: Israel, Haifa, Animal rights "My conviction has become a banner for cat haters," insists Tanya Kagan, who was ordered by the Haifa Magistrate's Court to stop feeding cats in her apartment building's courtyard last year. On Wednesday, Kagan appealed to the Haifa District Court to overturn the lower court's ruling, which imposed a NIS 1,000 daily penalty for noncompliance. Her friends demonstrated outside the court, calling for her to be allowed to feed the street cats. The initial trial came following complaints by Kagan's neighbors. Advertisement "The presence of dozens of cats; the food in the courtyard, the filth and the stench, which the defendant albeit says she cleans daily; the mewing of the cats; the cats jumping onto the plaintiff's balcony - all these amount to a real, substantive and constant disturbance that interferes with the plaintiff's right to reasonable enjoyment from the property," the magistrate's court wrote in its initial ruling. The appeal, filed Tuesday, is based in part on an expert opinion by Haifa municipal inspectors who visited the cats' feeding area due to the complaints, and who reported "there was no evidence of a nuisance or annoyance" and "there is no damage that requires the attention of the Municipal Supervision Department." Disputes between people who feed stray cats, and those who oppose them, are a common phenomenon throughout the country. The latter view the cats as a hygienic nuisance, while the former do not understand how the street cats can be ignored. Maya Ringel, spokeswoman for the Haifa branch of the Israel Cat Lovers' Society, admits that some people who feed cats do not keep the area clean, and give the cats fresh meat, which attracts flies and leaves a bad smell. On the other hand, says Ringel, there are also "classic cat feeders," like Kagan, who "clean up after the cats, neuter the males and spay the females." Cat lovers fear that the general public does not differentiate between the cat feeders who maintain cleanliness and their neighbors' peace and quiet, and "pirate cat feeders." Ringel calls Kagan's conviction a "disaster for the nation's cat feeder community." "Apartment owners all over Haifa and the suburbs, and even house committees, hung copies of an article headlined '[She] fed cats at her apartment building and was fined NIS 1,000 a day,' on their lobby bulletin boards, along with a warning that feeding cats violates the law," Ringel says. "Many people who like feeding stray cats have contacted me, saying that they are being hounded." A woman familiar with this issue, who asked to remain anonymous, said that despite the great many cases where cat feeding can create a severe annoyance, Kagan's case really is different, and the court's impression is mistaken. Even Dr. Ohad Snapir, a veterinarian who lives near Kagan's building, feels Kagan suffered an injustice. "This is an unfortunate case," says Snapir. "The cats do not cause a disturbance. This is a well-tended garden with no garbage or filth, one of the nicest yards in the Hadar neighborhood." "If, heaven forfend, the appeal is rejected," said Ringel this week, "it will affect everyone who feeds cats around the country, and will have harsh ramifications beyond whether feeding cats is allowed. Cat lovers will continue to feed stray cats, but will have to do so covertly, and the violence that already exists here will increase. The rejection of the appeal would be a lack of regard for human compassion toward the weak and needy, and man's irresponsibility toward the animal he domesticated." Related articles: Animal rights group: 500 calves abused and killed Ministerial committee approves bill banning animal testing for cosmetics Bookmark to del.icio.us   Slamming Obama McCain uses speech to AIPAC to criticize Obama for willingness to meet U.S. foes. Soldier kidnapping Three Israeli Arabs charged with planning to kidnap, kill soldier.   1.   Furry tailed rats 02:03  |  Mark Lincoln 22/11/07   2.   First They Came For The Cats And Then... 02:13  |  Yosemite 22/11/07   3.   Why mutilate those you love 05:00  |  J. Frank Mortimer 22/11/07   4.   Yosemite - and who came for the. . . 05:47  |  Mark Lincoln 22/11/07   5.   feeding cats ruins neighbors enjoyment of property 06:59  |  Richard Sherwin 22/11/07   6.   This planet belongs to the animals 08:23  |  L A 22/11/07   7.   stray cats 16:58  |  june 03/06/08

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