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The Cat Who Was Slapped with a
Restraining Order
Lewis,
a
polydactl black and white long-haired cat lives in Sunset Circle in
the city of Fairfield, Connecticut. Lewis apparently has a very
bad temper, and several fellow residents, including an Avon lady, have
been attacked by him, with no provocation.
Lewis was identified by a victim in a lineup of black and white cats -
and is the only cat to have had a restraining order issued against
him. He was placed under house arrest in 2004, allowed limited
outdoor privileges if kept on Prozac.
When Lewis escaped the house and attacked another neighbor, Lewis'
owner, Ruth Cisero, was arrested and charged with failure
to comply with a restraint order. The prosecuting attorney later
changed the charge to second degree reckless endangerment. Cisero
was put on probation. About the same time, one of Lewis' previous
victims filed a $5,000 lawsuit against her.
 The local news media - then the
national news media - got hold of the
story and, when Cisero went to court in April 2006 to ask for the
probation to be lifted, the court was full of reporters. The
judge said she would consider lifting the probation only if Lewis was
euthanized. Finally in June 2006, Cisero was granted "accelerated
probation" on the condition that Lewis could never go outside again -
no exceptions, ever, except for trips to the vet.
In July 2008,
the judge dismissed the reckless endangerment charge
against Cisero, concluding she had met terms of a special probation for
first-time offenders. Lewis is now an indoor pet, allowed outside only
in a cat carrier.
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