Cat fight.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

You know what my favorite part about newspaper is? Well, it's the comics. But my second-most favorite is the LTTEs section. Sometimes they're profound, provocative, educational, etc. But sometimes they're like watching the Jerry Springer show. Here's one I read this morning:

"I am writing in response to the "Pet Politics" article (8/3) covering no-kill animal shelter policies. I have been anxious to see these policies implemented since I realized how bad the problem is here. My cat was taken from outside my home and brought to Greenhill Humane Society, where he was killed.

Although Johnni Prince, the executive director there, claims to support no-kill policies, their supposed "low-kill" policies were not implemented at all. When animals are brought to the shelter, there is supposed to be an intake form filled out, so that people missing their cats can call to identify them. The form for my cat was blank, so when I called I was told that no cat matched my description. The shelter is supposed to wait three days (72 hours) before euthanizing cats brought in to them, and mine was killed after only two days. My cat was neutered and had a microchip installed — a device with the cat's identifying information, for which Greenhill has a special scanner. Although Greenhill puts such microchips into every animal they adopt out, mine was not scanned at all.

When I called to request all the documents related to my cat's murder, Johnni warned me that I had no legal repercussions. She said that "cats are like squirrels" with no rights in Lane County. That cat was my baby, and he was treated like an inconvenience and disposed of.

Sara Taylor, Eugene

EDITOR'S NOTE: According to Greenhill's Johnni Prince, the statements here are "inaccurate and come from Ms. Taylor's pain, grief and guilt rather than the facts of the situation." Prince said the cat in question was found in Veneta with no visible identification and was too wild and aggressive to scan for a microchip, despite multiple attempts. She said a microchip was found after the cat was euthanized (after three days), but the phone number on the registry was no longer valid."

www.eugeneweekly.com

[GoddessOfGuinness]

1. My vote goes with the owner...

Something really stinks there...

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

2. Really?

I was thinking vet. They must keep records of that kind of stuff.

But it could go either way. Obviously somebody's lying.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

3. I've had friends who dealt with seriously disorganized shelters...

...and it's easy for them to be overwhelmed since funding is often minimal, and conditions can be horribly crowded.

Of course, there aren't enough facts presented to make a proper judgement. That's just my gut feeling.