Bo is breathing a sigh of relief this morning. (for those who don't know, Bo is my elderly hyperthyroid cat who has...um, "mood" issues. She even takes a swing at my ankles every once in awhile. I don't let her run loose to terrorize the neighborhood, but visitors will get a surprise sometimes)
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - A state judge spared the life of alleged neighbor-assaulter Lewis the cat on Tuesday, but ordered that he remain inside his owner's Fairfield home at all times.
"There are no exceptions. None," said Judge Patrick Carroll, who also granted accelerated rehabilitation to Lewis' owner, Ruth Cisero. That means her record will be expunged if she successfully completes two years of probation.
Cisero had faced a charge of reckless endangerment because neighbors complained that the cat's long claws and stealth have allowed it to attack at least a half-dozen people and ambush the Avon lady as she was getting out of her car.
Cisero had fought to keep Lewis alive and in Connecticut. She rejected a previous offer of accelerated rehabilitation if she agreed to euthanize Lewis.
Carroll said Lewis cannot leave the house, even if he gets out accidentally. He said the case is not about a cat, but about people having the right to live in safety in their neighborhoods.
The case drew national attention. Lewis has appeared in People magazine and his own page on the social networking site MySpace.com.
But Cisero said Tuesday she would prefer to have never had the attention.
"I never thought it would come to this," she said. "It's been an absolute nightmare. It's ruined my life."
Long live Lewis. Inside.