Lewis: A Tale of Two Kitties

The big news in Connecticut is this: Lewis the cat has been put under house arrest for attacking an Avon lady.

Lewis, maligned by neighbors for being feisty, fresh and perpetually stalking prey, including a few passing ankles, is now forced to look out the window with an aching heart for the great outdoors.

Neighbors are tired of watching Lewis parade around town with something small and furry or feathery in his mouth and are fearful of his prancing and pouncing, especially when he’s headed in their direction.

They even point to his six-toed paws as proof that he has quite an arsenal of weapons at his claw tips.

Lewis, hero or hellion I ask?

I say hero.

Lewis is just being a cat, doing the deeds of cats and doing it with aplomb. Stalking and pouncing are typical cat behaviors and do not prove in any way that he is purposely terrorizing the neighborhood.

Yes, he might have grabbed a few neighbor’s ankles as they passed by his yard, but it was all in play.

Lewis is not a monster but a misunderstood feline. I think counseling and perhaps accelerated rehabilitation would benefit Lewis.

Lewis has a brother Thomas who has no restrictions upon his comings and goings. How unfair for Lewis to watch Thomas mouse hunting outside while he must never feel the soft grass upon his paws again: One brother free to roam and one restricted to the mouseless, birdless and yes, Avon Lady-less confines of his home.

House arrest for Lewis --that’s cruel and unusual punishment.

And why?

Because he refuses to talk?

Was he even read his Miranda Rights?

Is there a whisker of truth to these charges?

Free Lewis I say. Let him join Thomas in outdoor play once again. Let’s face it, no one’s purr-fect, not even Lewis. But he deserves due process, and should be able to hunt without a license.

Lew-Is, Lew-Is, Lew-Is.