Story Archive

Straying into Jail

Winnie the cat first turned up at Elizabeth Smith’s home in Gatineau, Que., Canada, more than a decade ago, and Smith began feeding her. Winnie, the Smiths say, is both feral and Elizabeth Smith’s cat — but it’s Dan Smith, Elizabeth’s estranged husband, who’s bound for jail over Winnie’s lack of a license. The Smiths continue to share the house (though it’s not Dan’s only home), and an SPCA officer accused Dan of having an unlicensed cat. “Maybe my wife does,” said Dan, but the officer ordered him to get the license on pain of a $100 fine. “I said, ‘Do what you want. I don’t own a cat.’” The officer eventually came back with two cops and a ticket: “You feed it, you own it.” Dan Smith was convicted, but he refused to pay the fine. The debt grew to C$276 (US$200), but he still refused to pay, so it morphed into an 11-day jail term. Elizabeth Smith got the cat a license. (AC/National Post) ...Winnie agrees with Dan that he doesn’t own her, but she doesn’t think Elizabeth does either.