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Van with 20 cats locked inside at Batavia Downs parking lot

By Billie Owens

Sheriff's deputies are responding to Batavia Downs Casino parking lot to investigate a complaint of about 20 cats locked in a white van with no one is sight.

The same kind of complaint involving the same vehicle was called in in June. The van was in Tops parking lot in Le Roy and the registered owners said they were not homeless, just between homes, and they were living in the van temporarily and that was why they had so many cats inside.

UPDATE 7:25 p.m.: Apparently, the caller's description was hyperbole. The deputy on scene says he's found five cats inside and the windows are open and the van is vented.

Mary E DelPlato

Wonder if one of the cats inside was mine...there are people out there that will steal our cats...universities pay per cat for certain labs...buut it sounds to me like an operation ...there was an article I read awhile back...

Aug 19, 2012, 4:47am Permalink
Jennifer Keys

I thought the same thing, Dot, though it was considerably cooler out yesterday than those days when the dogs were reportedly getting locked in. Not that it was cool enough to be safe for them, but it was cooler.

Aug 19, 2012, 9:45am Permalink
kevin kretschmer

Considering that the people are LIVING IN THEIR VAN in various parking lots in the area, I think they have a pretty good idea what it is like for the cats.

Aug 19, 2012, 10:13am Permalink
Kyle Couchman

LOL love the way the complainant turned 5 cats into 20. As I have pointed out before in my previous job exp I was an over the road merchandiser all through the end of the 90's and far into the 2000's I awlays used my Pontiac Transport (93) for that job. Many many days I had such a packed schedule that I had to sleep in the van. In areas that you had security concerns as well. Its not comfy but it's not as bad as people make it out to be either. Yesterdays temps combined with periodic overcast conditions and a brisk breeze were perfect for napping in vehicles. I saw as much going out in the outlying parking for Summer in the city.

Obviously the Sherriff once arriving on the scene found the report greatly exagerated. This is fine by me.... People that are overzealous and do this kind of thing are the ones who end up making such calls go lower and lower on the priority scale. Cry wolf enough times you'll end up being ignored. Which is a shame because there will always be times when idiots do this and truly endanger pets lives. Just like those who drive with small dogs running around in the car or have them on their lap while driving is dangerous.

Aug 19, 2012, 12:15pm Permalink

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