A Florida man has sparked outrage in his neighborhood for proudly catching stray cats who drive up his property never to be seen again.
David Carpozzi lives in Hollywood, Florida, about 20 miles north of Miami, and is at war with his neighbors.
Eda Lourdes Amador, who lives just a few houses away, began posting flyers all over her area after several cats were discovered missing after being caught in Carpozzi’s traps.
She videotaped herself confronting Carpozzi, accusing him of capturing the felines.
“I am,” he replied in the clip. “Any cat that comes on my property, I catch and it disappears.”
David Carpozzi lives in Hollywood, Florida, about 20 miles north of Miami, and is at war with his neighbors
Eda Lourdes Amador, who lives just a few houses away, began posting flyers all over her area after several cats were discovered missing after being caught in Carpozzi’s traps
Carpozzi was confronted by a Local 10 reporter and denied the allegations.
When the reporter pushed it, he closed the door on her.
“I’ve put notices all over the trees and block so people know that if their cat is missing, they should go look at his house in the trap,” she said.
Amador has had enough of her neighbour.
“This man must be stopped because he is a bad man,” she said.
“All cats are at risk in this neighborhood. These are community cats!’ said Amador.
Neighbor Erick Marino tends to agree, suggesting that Carpozzi is a cruel man after his daughter’s cat, Chloe, disappeared last November.
“Yes, he’s lying,” Marino said. “I can tell you personally, he made my daughter cry every night, so I’ll never forget that.”
“This man must be stopped because he is a bad man,” Amador said. “All cats are at risk in this neighborhood. These are community cats!’
He is convinced that Carpozzi is to blame.
“He did it to our cat and I told him, ‘My cat is in your hutch.’ I don’t care what you do, just set him free,’ Marino said.
Eventually, Chloe returned to her home, but several cats have not been so lucky.
Richard Lothian, Amador’s husband, was also videotaped confronting Carpozzi, who has security cameras in his own home.
Lothian asks him in the clip, “Cats are free-roaming animals, don’t you know that?”
“Yes, if they have free reign on my property, they disappear,” Carpozzi replied. “Just so you know, you’ll never see them again.”
Amador and other neighbors have asked for police presence several times, in addition to posting flyers
Lothian even tried to get a court order against Carpozzi, but the case was dismissed after he failed to show up.
Richard Lothian, Amador’s husband, was also videotaped confronting Carpozzi
Carpozzi also films all of his interactions and has security cameras on his property
Hollywood police have been called to the area at least half a dozen times in April and May alone.
Under provincial law, property owners have the right to humanely capture or capture cats, but they must take them to the local animal shelter.
Broward County Animal Care and Adoption said they have never seen Carpozzi show up.
“These poor souls have now lost everything — they’ve lost their homes, they’ve lost their food security, they’ve lost the care and love of their relatives,” Lothian said.