If only Bob Barker were alive to see it.
In Alabama, two women have sued city officials claiming their attempts to safely control an exploding feral cat population by feeding, capturing and neutering found felines on their own dime, led to their wrongful arrest and imprisonment on “bogus” charges in violation of their First Amendment rights.
In the lawsuit reviewed Wednesday by Law&Crime, the women, Beverly Roberts, 86, and Mary Alston, 61 — who quickly became known as the “Cat Ladies” in the press following their 2022 arrest — allege that what happened to them that June in Wetumpka was done under “patently absurd” pretenses and was the result of their having angered city officials in the past with their protest and criticism.
Video of the arrest is available here, courtesy of Law&Crime:
Both of the women, their lawyer writes in the 17-page lawsuit filed in Alabama’s Middle District, had a history of complaining publicly about the city’s failure to enforce various animal safety regulations and their arrest was retaliation, plain and simple. Beyond trying to control the local cat population, the women also pushed for city officials to more regularly enforce a local ban on the “chaining” of dogs. The practice can often result in strangulation.