Cat attacked by birds when it wouldn't run with leash, owner ticketed

That's because the citation nineteen-year-old Seth Franco received yesterday involves the fallout from his inability to get his cat to run around a park on a leash. Really.

Getting a cat to deal with being leashed isn't impossible, as this video proves...

However, I know from personal experience that convincing a feline to take part in this dog-like action is mighty difficult. Many moons ago, a filmmaker friend of mine recruited our beloved (and now sadly passed) cat Stella for a scene in which she was supposed to walk on a leash, and she absolutely refused to do so. As a result, she was carried during her moment in the spotlight, which was a lot less funny but presumably much more comfortable for her.

Cut to Wednesday at Waneka Lake Park in Lafayette. As reported by the Boulder Daily Camera, Franco allegedly tried to go for a run, and he wanted his leash-enabled cat to accompany him. That apparently didn't seem to her like a good way to spend a beautiful day -- not with so much sunshine available for basking. So Franco affixed the leash to a rock and jogged on.

A short time later, a passerby called the Lafayette Police. Why? It seems that while Franco was getting his cardio on, his cat was being attacked by a flock of birds.

The municipal ticket Franco received is for "domestic animal cruel treatment;" a Lafayette Police spokesman explained to the Camera that the city's ordinances don't allow for "that kind of tethering."

Oh yeah: The paper also cites a Facebook page for what's almost certainly the Seth Franco in question. Big clue: There's a photo album featuring a rescued cat named -- coincidence! -- Stella, and one shot pictures her on a leash:

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More from our Colorado Crimes archive: "Joan Zalk, yoga instructor, charged with animal cruelty for walking chihuahua while driving car."