A Lethbridge woman is hoping to find her cat Neville after he went missing one day after a neighbour left a letter complaining about the animal.
Stephanie May moved into her new home on April 23. The next week, she found a letter in her mailbox.
“The gist of it said: if your cat is a problem, we’ll remove it from the neighbourhood,” said May. “I thought I knew who it was so I asked my neighbour if it was them and the said yes.”
“On Wednesday night, my cat went missing.”
Global News spoke with the neighbour, Lana, who asked only to be identified by her first name. Lana admits to writing the letter, but says the issue went no further and she did not take any action against the cat.
May has searched for Neville at her old house and has called multiple animal shelters.
“We’ve had him for a while. He’s moved with us three times and he’s always come back.” She adds it’s unusual for Neville to be missing this long.
The City of Lethbridge does not currently have a cat bylaw, but does allow cat trapping, if a cat is being viewed as a nuisance, according to the city’s website. The website also says cat owners must be respectful of others in their neighbourhood, who may not want cats wandering in their yards.
May says she told her neighbour she would try to keep Neville inside.
“I understand that cats are a nuisance to people, they use outside as their litter box. No one’s brought it as an issue before.”
She remains hopeful Neville will be found soon.
“He’s part of our family.”