Minnesota: Cat named Freddie safe after 15 months on his own thanks to two animal lovers - and a microchip

MINNESOTA -- Forgive us the stale nine lives storyline, but a Minneapolis cat is safe and warm after spending more than a year out on his own in the big bad world... and he didn't even have to use one of those lives up, thanks to some selfless animal lovers and a small piece of technology.

Char Gruber had just left work January 5 and was driving on Interstate 35W near Black Dog Road in Burnsville when she spotted something sitting on the side of the highway.

She turned around and found it was a skinny black cat just sitting there watching the cars whiz by.

As Char said on her Facebook page, "No where to go, river to the north, freeway to the west, a huge wetland to the east. He lifted one cold paw, then the other. I went up to him and he dove into a 25' long drainage pipe and was living under the off ramp."

 

Char drove off, but knew she couldn't just leave the little cat out there. The temp at the time was 2 degrees above zero, and the image of him lifting his frigid paws in the air pushed her into action.

She called her friend Carolyn Kirstine (skilled at catching cats in live traps) and the two of them hiked down a steep embankment and set a pair of traps.

Within minutes the skinny black cat was caught in one of them.

 

The ladies called their friend Anne Cieko, who agreed to give the wayward pet shelter.

Anne soon found that the cat had a chip in him, his name was Freddie, he belonged to a man who lived in south Minneapolis, and had been reported missing September 20, 2015.

The ladies contacted Justin Frey, who was overjoyed at the news his friend was still alive one year, three months, and 17 days after he slipped out of the house.

"If it weren’t for these three, and microchipping, Freddie would not be home today. He saw the vet this morning and the vet had no major concerns," Frey reported on his Facebook page.

"He is a good weight with a pretty healthy coat. Freddie jumped right onto my bed last night as if nothing had changed, and remains there this morning basking in the winter sun.

"Thanks again to Char, Anne and Carolyn! My heart is full today."

The lesson of the day, according to Char: It takes team work, never turn your back on a wily cat, and CHIP your animals!

(KARE - Jan 9, 2017)

New York: Simone Saracino, 62, accused of starving, torturing animals

NEW YORK -- A Staten Island man who ran an illegal trapping business was arrested for animal cruelty after he left several raccoons in a cage to die of starvation, authorities said.

Simone Saracino, 62, allegedly trapped the critters back on Aug. 1 and let them slowly suffer for more than 96 torturous hours without food or water.

After most of the animals died, Saracino strapped the wire cage to the roof of his vehicle and transported them in inclement weather to an Animal Care and Control facility on Aug. 4.

Officials at AC&C, which is contracted by the city to handle all stray animals, contacted authorities after Saracino showed up on Aug. 4 at the Staten Island shelter with a cage containing dead baby raccoons, sources said.

A necropsy showed they had died due to heat stroke after being left in the trap for several days without food and water.

Saracino, who does not have a license to handle wildlife, was charged with one count of torturing, injuring and not feeding animals and one count carrying animals in a cruel manner — both misdemeanor charges.

He was arrested Friday and given a desk appearance ticket.

A woman who answered the phone at Saracino’s Richmond County Hunting, Trapping, & Game Service said “we’re not interested” before hanging up.

(NY Post - Feb 15, 2016)

Trapper removing feral cats attacked on social media

FLORIDA -- A Brevard County trapper hired by a community to deal with their feral cat problem is under fire from animal advocates.

Wildlife trapper James Dean was hired last week by the Seaport Oceanfront Condominium Association to remove seven feral cats from their property.

"They were spraying BBQ grills, their cars, their front doors," said Dean.

The cats were also attracting wilder animals like raccoons.

The goal was to round them up and hand them over to local rescue groups, where they would be given medical treatment and put up for adoption if possible.

But not long after Dean himself felt like the hunted, at least on social media.

A Facebook thread was started, and rumors began swirling he was trapping and killing the cats.

"Like myself, the association doesn't want these cats killed," he said.

The trapper put out a total of 13 traps. The next morning he found out three had been so damaged, he had to throw them away.

The original poster was Rachel Smith, an animal rights advocate from New York.

"When I first heard on Facebook that a condo complex in Florida hired a trapper to remove a colony of cats, I was enraged and feared for their safety,” Smith said. “What would he do to these cats?"

When word began to quickly spread, she decided to call the trapper herself and get to the bottom of it.

"She was a spokesperson for a rescue group, and for feral cats," said Dean.

Smith apologized to Dean, and went a step, further sending us this statement:

"He reported to me that his property has been damaged, he has received numerous harassing phone calls and has even lost work because rumors are running rampant, especially on social media. I feel terrible for him because I had witnessed this for myself and it’s a shame."

The condo association also sent out a notice to dispel the rumors the cats were being killed.

"He's just getting them out of here," said resident Ed Walker.

Condo complex residents say it should never have gotten to this level.

"These cats could pass on a disease to a human, I'm just glad they are being taken care of," Walker said.

"They like the fact they are going to a group to get the health care that they need," said Dean.

(MyNews13 - Dec 1, 2015)