Canadian man faces jail after refusing to pay stray cat fine
Published in Cats & Dogs News
GATINEAU, Quebec (UPI) -- A Canadian man is facing jail time after refusing to pay a fine for a stray cat he claims belongs to his estranged wife.
Dan Smith, 65, refused to pay the $276 instead opting to spend as many as 11 days in jail on the principle that the cat did not belong to him.
Smith was ticketed for not having a license of ownership for the cat. While he claimed he did not in fact own the cat but simply fed it an animal control officer informed him, "You feed it, you own it."
Since then, Smith's ex-wife has purchased a license for the cat.
He later argued in court that he no longer lives in the Gatineu home where his ex-wife regularly feeds the cat but was found guilty after he was unable to provide significant documentation of his new address.
Despite his attempts to escape the charges, Smith accepted the jail sentence and attempted to turn himself in early as a municipal court official informed him that the jails tend to get full on the weekend.
"Maybe, I'll have a rest for a few days," he said of his impending jail time.
Smith's initial attempt to turn himself in was denied as police are awaiting a warrant.
Copyright 2016 by United Press International
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