Kitten thief convicted of misdemeanor

A man who stole a kitten from the SPCA because he couldn’t afford the $100 adoption fee was convicted of a misdemeanor in Richmond General District Court on Tuesday. The judge gave Carlos Marshall a 12-month suspended sentence, fined him $250 and ordered him to do 100 hours of community service.

House Bill 334, a proposal to upgrade the theft of a cat to a felony, died in the 2008 General Assembly, and proponents said they will cite this case as support for the bill next year.

That measure bill now has a name. The kitten, who later was adopted by Chesterfield teenager, is named Ernie. In the 2009 Assembly, the felony cat-theft proposal will be “Ernie’s Bill.”

The Richmond Times-Dispatch has details.

Animals may fare well in '08 Assembly

Animal rights activists have tried for years to get Virginia's laws on animal fighting changed to protect the four-legged of the world, with little to show for it. After the embarassment of the Michael Vick dogfighting case here in the Old Dominion, legislators apparently now are listening.

The Washington Post reports the 2008 session has been flooded with pro-animal bills.

And continuing the animal law news roundup, cats may be able to claim some degree of parity with dogs, if House Bill 334 becomes law.

Proposed by Del. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, the measure would make it a class 5 felony to steal a cat. It's already a felony to steal a dog. Dogs apparently have had better lobbyists in years past. The Virginian-Pilot has details.