Colorado Man Finds Trouble after Taking Cat with Him on Jog
By: CNN
Updated: March 17, 2012
A teenager in Lafayette, Colorado is in trouble with the law after taking his cat for jog.
Yep, you heard right.
Seth Franco walks and runs with his cat.
While that may be a little unusual, it's what he did when the kitty couldn't keep up that's landed him in hot water.
"Her name is Stella! with an exclamation point. I'm more of a dog person but this cat is so cool that I just took her in and take care of her. I love her," says Seth Franco, who found the kitty in a sad situation. "She was tied up to a tree behind Boulder High School with a note that said I need a new home."
Six months later, the two are almost inseparable.
"I just care a lot about her. I guess more than the average person does," he says.
Franco wanted Stella! to enjoy the beautiful weather, "So I thought, hmm, maybe before work I can go run the lake and the cat can come with me."
So, Wednesday afternoon, they went "jogging" in a loop around the lake.
"She ran about 45-percent of the way and then it was so hot she started panting real bad," he explains.
He then tethered Stella! while he continued his jog.
"Put her by a rock, under a shady tree," he says.
Franco didn't know that kind of tethering is against a Lafayette city ordinance.
Someone called the police and said Stella! was being attacked by birds.
"There were no birds going at her. There were crows crowing at her," Franco says.
Some passing joggers scared the crows away, as Franco finished up his run.
"And they were yelling at me. Telling me I abuse my animal. I did not intentionally abuse my animal. If anything I just take care of it," he says.
He got a summons to appear in court on a charge of animal cruelty.
"And they kind of just told me it was common sense to not tie an animal up."
Franco hopes others learn from his mistake.
"Don't abandon or hurt or abuse your animals or leave them tied up while you go jogging because you'll get in trouble."
Franco has a court date in May.
Yep, you heard right.
Seth Franco walks and runs with his cat.
While that may be a little unusual, it's what he did when the kitty couldn't keep up that's landed him in hot water.
"Her name is Stella! with an exclamation point. I'm more of a dog person but this cat is so cool that I just took her in and take care of her. I love her," says Seth Franco, who found the kitty in a sad situation. "She was tied up to a tree behind Boulder High School with a note that said I need a new home."
Six months later, the two are almost inseparable.
"I just care a lot about her. I guess more than the average person does," he says.
Franco wanted Stella! to enjoy the beautiful weather, "So I thought, hmm, maybe before work I can go run the lake and the cat can come with me."
So, Wednesday afternoon, they went "jogging" in a loop around the lake.
"She ran about 45-percent of the way and then it was so hot she started panting real bad," he explains.
He then tethered Stella! while he continued his jog.
"Put her by a rock, under a shady tree," he says.
Franco didn't know that kind of tethering is against a Lafayette city ordinance.
Someone called the police and said Stella! was being attacked by birds.
"There were no birds going at her. There were crows crowing at her," Franco says.
Some passing joggers scared the crows away, as Franco finished up his run.
"And they were yelling at me. Telling me I abuse my animal. I did not intentionally abuse my animal. If anything I just take care of it," he says.
He got a summons to appear in court on a charge of animal cruelty.
"And they kind of just told me it was common sense to not tie an animal up."
Franco hopes others learn from his mistake.
"Don't abandon or hurt or abuse your animals or leave them tied up while you go jogging because you'll get in trouble."
Franco has a court date in May.
