Cat trapping leads to spat

EDMONDS – A cat named Turbo is setting off an emotionally charged debate in Edmonds.

Should cats be allowed to wander while dogs are not? And should residents bothered by neighbors’ cats in their yards be able to humanely trap the cats?

The city of Edmonds’ answer to both questions is yes. City officials are now looking at adding provisions to the law to protect trapped animals.

A disagreement between neighbors came to a head one day last month, when Turbo, a 2-year-old white cat with a black tail, didn’t come home. He was gone all day and all night.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

“I was out searching for him in the rain and the dark with a flashlight,” said Laura Martin, the cat’s owner.

It turned out that Martin’s neighbor, Debbie McCallum, and her husband, Robert, had trapped the cat in a cage they baited with food.

Martin says Debbie McCallum two weeks earlier had told her she believed Turbo killed 16 quail the McCallums raised in their back yard last year.

“She just assumed he was the culprit,” Martin said. She told McCallum she would put a bell on Turbo’s collar to alert birds of his presence, she said.

Robert McCallum said other cats had been in their yard. But he knows Turbo killed at least two of the birds, he said.

“I saw that cat with my quail in its mouth,” McCallum said.

He said he spoke with the Martins several times about the matter to no avail. Laura Martin lives with her parents.

Now, the McCallums are raising 25 more quail indoors and “I’m getting ready to let ‘em go,” McCallum said.

To capture the cat, they used a trap with two wire doors that close after the animal walks in, he said. They kept Turbo in their garage overnight with food and water and with the cage covered.

They didn’t tell the Martins they had their cat.

“If (Laura Martin) would have knocked on our door and said, ‘Where’s my cat?’ we could have made our point right then and there,” McCallum said.

They called animal control the next morning and an officer came and picked up Turbo. The city’s animal shelter looked at the cat’s tags, called the Martins, and they picked him up.

“He was cut to the bone on one side of his cheek,” Martin said.

McCallum said the cat “probably got frightened in there and tried to wedge his face through the cage.”

Edmonds law doesn’t specifically address trapping, city attorney Scott Snyder said. But “every property owner has a common-law right to prevent trespassers from entering their property, and that includes the animals of others,” he said.

Also, owners of any type of animal are obligated to clean up its waste, no matter where it may be, Snyder said.

City Councilman Dave Orvis said officials are considering adding language to the law that if a domestic animal is captured, it must be treated humanely and turned over to animal control within 24 hours.

Ray Martin, Laura’s father, brought the issue to the City Council’s attention. Ray Martin has been a persistent critic of city policies in recent years.

Meanwhile, the Martins are keeping Turbo and their two other cats indoors.

“They are just going crazy to go outside,” Laura Martin said. “We haven’t let them out at all.”

Reporter Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439 or sheets@ heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Cars drive along Cathcart Way next to the site of the proposed Eastview Village development that borders Little Cedars Elementary on Wednesday, May 7, 2025 in unincorporated Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Former engineer: Snohomish County rushed plans for Eastview development

David Irwin cited red flags from the developers. After he resigned, the county approved the development that’s now stalled with an appeal

Outside of the Madrona School on Monday, Aug. 26, 2024 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Sewer district notifies Edmonds schools of intent to sue

The letter of intent alleges the school district has failed to address long-standing “water pollution issues” at Madrona K-8 School.

Everett
Man stabbed in face outside Everett IHOP, may lose eye

Police say the suspect fled in the victim’s car, leading officers on a 6-mile chase before his arrest.

A person walks up 20th Street Southeast to look at the damage that closed the road on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
WA delegation urges Trump to reconsider request for bomb cyclone aid

The Washington state congressional delegation urged President Donald Trump on… Continue reading

Aaron Weinstock uses an x-ray machine toy inside the Imagine Children Museum on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Imagine Children’s Museum $250k grant reinstated following federal court order

The federal grant supports a program that brings free science lessons to children throughout rural Snohomish County.

Snohomish County 911 Executive Director Kurt Mills talks about the improvements made in the new call center space during a tour of the building on Tuesday, May 20, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New 911 center in Everett built to survive disaster

The $67.5 million facility brings all emergency staff under one roof with seismic upgrades, wellness features and space to expand.

Everett
Five arrested in connection with Everett toddler’s 2024 overdose death

More than a year after 13-month-old died, Everett police make arrests in overdose case.

Madison Family Shelter Family Support Specialist Dan Blizard talks about one of the pallet homes on Monday, May 19, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Madison Family Shelter reopens after hiatus

The Pallet shelter village, formerly Faith Family Village, provides housing for up to eight families for 90 days.

DNR removes derelict barge from Spencer Island

The removal was done in partnership with state Fish and Wildlife within a broader habitat restoration project.

(City of Everett)
Everett’s possible new stadium has a possible price tag

City staff said a stadium could be built for $82 million, lower than previous estimates. Bonds and private investment would pay for most of it.

Jennifer Humelo, right, hugs Art Cass outside of Full Life Care Snohomish County on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘I’ll lose everything’: Snohomish County’s only adult day health center to close

Full Life Care in Everett, which supports adults with disabilities, will shut its doors July 19 due to state funding challenges.

A member of the Sheriff's office works around evidence as investigators work the scene on 20th Street SE near Route 9 after police shot and killed a man suspected in a car theft on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Family of Lake Stevens man shot by police sues over mental health care delays

Lawsuit says state failed to evaluate James Blancocotto before he was shot fleeing in a patrol car.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.