Fellow kitties, I read a very sad news article today about a poor cat called Wilbur. It seems he was happily walking around outside, when he was caught and eaten by a neighbours “pet” python that was left outside unattended.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/gloucestershire/8191355.stm
It seems that legally, the neighbour has done nothing illegal, as pythons are NOT on the dangerous animals list, even though an adult python is capable of easily eating a person! Because the python isn’t venemous, it’s not legally considered dangerous, I feel this is an idiotic stance, as a python is a constrictor, and certainly doesn’t need venom to kill.
Even worse news, the UK government, in Autum (fall) 2009 is looking to relax the dangerous animals act, to make it EASIER to keep dangerous animals without a license.
So fellow kitties, I ask you to re-blog this, and re-tweet this, as we need to petition the UK government here to tell them how we feel.
Unfortunately, I believe this petition is only for UK subjects.
So let’s make poor Wilbur’s death count for something, and get the law thought about!
There’s more info at Wilbur’s website.
http://www.justiceforwilbur.co.uk
Let’s give poor Wilbur’s Momcat & Dadcat all the support and purrs we can!
If you can think of any way they can get more publicity, then please let Wilbur’s family know! They simply can’t do anything, and just lost their cat for no reason.
Popularity: 1%
That is so sads
poor little kitteah! We will try to sign
PURRS!
Such a sad, sad story. I have signed!
Oh dear, this is so incredibly sad.
We completely agree with you and Wilbur’s horrified owners. We remember a US case of one lying in wait outside a doggy door for an unsuspecting little dog to come through. A terrified elderly woman could not stop the snake from killing and eating her small pet either. And nothing happened to the neighbor for allowing it to wander the neighborhood. We hope Wilbur gets justice.
Thank you for coming by to leave a kind comment for our cousin Fraggle.
OMG this is horrible and so sad. We will sign for sure.
Freya we need more kitty like you to expose what is right!
Loki
That is heartbreaking for the owners. We will get our mum to sign the petition.
OMG, poor, poor Wilbur. That is so very awful and disgusting.
That’s terrible! I hope you have luck with the petition.
This is a very sad story. He was a beautiful kitty
We think this is such a sad story and are purring for Wilbur’s fambly. Sadly, we live in the US and can’t make much of a difference in the UK but we are still purr-ayin’ for change in the law.
Within the last month a child was killed by some idiot’s pet snake. They also are a big problem in Florida because people get tired of the snakes and just turn them loose.
We are so so sorry for the kitty and his family. This is just so sad. We will forward this to whoever we can.
Well, I don’t unnerstand how tha owners can NOT get in trouble by letting them big ol’ snakes run loose like that.
An why isn’t a big ole constrictor snake considered dangerous????
I’s furry glad Freya bringed it to ours attenshun.
Love and Purrs,
KC
We have put a link to your post on our post today.
That is so sad that Wilbur died through carelessness from his neighbour. We think that people should have to be licenced to have exotic animals like pythons – that’s what happens down here in Australia, although we don’t know all the laws or anything. We hope that some changes are made in the UK so no other rogue pythons can hurt anyone.
Oh, my goodness. Poor Wilbur.
We signed up straight away ~ we are so sorry for Wilbur. This should NEVER have happened and should NEVER happen again.
RIP sweet Wilbur.
This is too horrible for words. Although we are US cats, we put up a post about this. ** This summer in Florida, a two year old girl was killed by the family “pet” python. We need stiffer laws about this too.
This is so sad…and we agree with Milo and Alfie…it should have NEVER happened and should NEVER happen again!
What a terrible story. Poor sweet Wilbur. We wish we could vote.
That’s a very sad story. Poor Wilbur. A “pet” python killed a little girl here and they are trying to get them banned as pets.
Sniffie and the Florida Furkids
I’m speechless…
That story just broke my heart. Poor Wilbur, and listening to his screams must have been unbearable for his family. Pythons should definitely not be pets! And when they grow too large, people let them loose in the Everglades where they are ruining the ecology.
Where I live in south Florida, a toddler was killed by a Burmese python just a few weeks ago.
Oh that poor kitty. That’s terrible. We wish we were in the UK to add our voice to the petition, we hope that the silly lawmakers there will do something right for a change!
Purrs and hugs,
The Kitty Krew
OMC! That is awful! I don’t think people are allowed snakes as pets here in NZ. Thank goodness!
I read last week about pet snakes being a real problem in Florida at the moment as people have been releasing them as they can’t afford to keep them.
That is horribly sad. A neighborhood backyard really isn’t a place for a deadly animal I would think.We are so sorry about Wilbur, and hope that the petition does some good so it doesn’t happen again.
Seen and Signed my Dear Freya!
Gosh how distressing and how the hell can someone have a pet python?!
Thoughts go out to Mumcat and Dadcat of Wilbur.
RIP.