LAS VEGAS AT LARGE:

Mystery cat woman is on mission; what is it?

She prowls at night to help — and maybe more

Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Reader poll

She'd 'legalize' feral cats to save them (8-13-2008)
Animal Magnetism (2-26-2001)

Clark County Animal Control

They called it Project Kitty Litter. Crouched outside his house, hiding in the dark of downtown Vegas’ residential streets sometime after 9 o’clock, Tim Newbry was poised to pounce.

The plan was to wait in the shadows until she showed up. And when she did — as she did every night that week, that month, that year, maybe — when she pulled up, parked her BMW, got out and started to scale the fence, Newbry was ready: He rang his own doorbell, signaling a roommate inside to jump out with a camera and — snap!— catch evidence of the crime: illegal trespassing with the intent to feed cats.

It’s almost too easy an accusation: The Crazy Cat Lady. But the woman making nightly stops in the Beverly Green neighborhood off Las Vegas Boulevard and St. Louis Avenue has been engaging in behavior worthy of that mythologized suburban paradigm, not only feeding slews of cats (strays and pets) but, some allege, stealing them.

The Cat Lady, known only as Adrienne, admitted to the Sun that she did take one cat, a white cat, from a college-age kid. But she felt bad about it and fessed up: She told owner Erica Gomez the cat had been given to a nice couple in Henderson. Apparently Adrienne thought the couple would be better pet owners. But she couldn’t track them down when Gomez asked for her cat back.

In the Project Kitty Litter photo, Adrienne has just jumped Newbry’s fence and is standing in his yard in pink shorts and sneakers, looking like a spooked 30-something — hands clasped over her chest, head turned, acrylic nails out like the claws of the cats she swears she’s saving.

Adrienne says she jumped the fence to collect the instruments of her obsession, the plastic containers she fills with cat foods — wet, dry and mixed.

She had been using Newbry’s lawn as a cat feeding way station since at least 2004, when he bought the house. Adrienne says it’s just one stop on a nightly three-hour feeding run through the streets of Las Vegas, a route that is slowly bankrupting her in $150 installments, what she claims she spends on cat food every day. (That BMW she drives? It’s her parents’.)

Newbry, like most residents of Beverly Green, tolerated the feeding, which seems to fatten neighborhood rats and roaches as much as cats. He didn’t mind the plates and bowls of food on his lawn, until his own cat disappeared.

Adrienne says she warned Newbry to keep his cat inside — or something bad would happen. Newbry’s cat was an outdoor animal, however, and wailed when she was locked inside. So six months ago, when Abbey the cat vanished, Newbry had one person in mind. That person, however, denies all involvement.

Twice, and nicely, Newbry says, he told Adrienne to stop using his yard. When that didn’t work, he set up the sting. He got her photo and dressed her down something fierce. This was roughly one month ago, and since then, the plates and bowls of cat food have been bouncing around the neighborhood, in one yard and then another, on the sidewalk outside Newbry’s house, then on the grass across the street.

But Adrienne is not the only person worried about the valley’s estimated 200,000 stray cats, a number reportedly growing because of foreclosure abandonments. The problem is that people who feed cats are in a bind: They can’t afford to sterilize all of them and are afraid to report the felines to animal control, because capture often results in euthanasia. Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani is proposing an ordinance that would “legalize” feral cats and help people like Adrienne get them vaccinated and sterilized. Giunchigliani is banking on private money to fund the proposal, which is slated for a public hearing at today’s commission meeting.

Adrienne says her work is “very controversial,” but that it’s better to feed the city’s strays and pets than to let them die of hunger. Since she started feeding the cats, she has saved at least 300, she says. It is not clear what she means by “saved,” however.

Adrienne has stopped returning the Sun’s calls. Abbey the cat has not come back.

Abigail Goldman can be reached at 259-8806 or at abigail.goldman@lasvegassun.com.

Discussion: 10 comments so far…

By bgrebs

8/19/08 at 10:58 a.m.

Suggest removal

She's "saving" them to go off and breed more litters of feral cats, and she's stealing people's pets to boot. She should be locked up for trespassing, theft, and contributing to a serious public health hazard. Feral cat colonies are a primary vector of toxoplasmosis, giardiasis, camplyobacteriosis and a host of other diseases and parasites.
By Dave729

8/19/08 at 11:24 a.m.

Suggest removal

Another wacky cat feeder contributing to the feral cat over-population. At least the TNR people don't make the situation any worse. They don't make it any better either but at least it doesn't get worse. The woman is in serious need of counciling.
By feral

8/20/08 at 1:54 a.m.

Suggest removal

Let's face it, there are cat lovers out there and thousands of people like this feeding the 200,000 estimated cats. They didn't throw out the cats to breed in the first place. She need to contact one of the Cat Societies who will help her trap,sterilize and get these cats vaccinated then organized into manageable colonies. She needs education to match her big heart. When TNR is legal she will be joined by many in her community and that will lesson the weight on her shoulders. Till then, bless her.
By azsk8fan

8/20/08 at 11:19 a.m.

Suggest removal

Anyone who rightfully owns a cat and lets it go outside deserves to have their cat taken. I feel no pity for that person. House cats belong INSIDE the house - too many bad things happen to 'house' cats when they get outside - cat fights, being run over by a car just to name a couple. If the cat's howling to get out just keep it inside awhile and the howling will stop.
By downtownsteve

8/22/08 at 11:16 a.m.

Suggest removal

Let's see... trespassing, littering, and theft....just a few of violations this kook is committing. She better hope her parents have another car for her to drive, I'm sure plenty of people will be on watch for the Beamer. I'd love to see the photo of her in the act.
By goodhood

8/26/08 at 4:38 p.m.

Suggest removal

Update....she was last seen in a silver SUV either Toyota or Lexus with Nevada plates
398 VBS on Beverly Way. Pictures available :-)
By goodhood

10/13/08 at 1:52 p.m.

Suggest removal

Latest update, she also arrives in a silver BMW 300 series with plate number 925 RYE.
By jrzygal888

1/16/09 at 1:40 p.m.

Suggest removal

Good for her ! I stole 5 of my trash neighbors cats when she'd get "free to good home" ad kittens, never fix or vaccinate them, and then I'd watch as her 4 year old was taught how to open the door, carry the kittens & throw them outside in the snow, one was in pregnant, in a snowstorm - smart enough to come into my yard, where I trapped her, gave her to my vet & she adotped her out. I did this over 5 more times, until I actually returned one nasty unadoptable one back outside to her property after I paid to vet him. Now she lives under a bridge, who knows what happened to the poor mistreated, neglected nasty cat - but at least I had him fixed ! I commend people who steal others neglected cats & find them good homes !
Keep up the good work !!!
By lvsunreader2009

3/19/09 at 11:04 a.m.

Suggest removal

Part 1: This woman is disturbed. I have first-hand knowledge of that. She tried to place a cat with me recently that she said had been on the street for a year.She said he was old and that he just needed a place to live out his last days in comfort,that he was totally domesticated and had been to the vet. What she delivered to me was basically a dead cat. He smelled of death, he was filthy,emaciated, and could barely stand,let alone walk.She brushed off my concerns and offered to take the cat to the vet if need be before hastily making her exit from my home.After 3 days & nights of bathing this poor animal that never did get clean,after cleaning this poor cat's mouth and nasal passages with a washcloth because they were so full of hideous mucous that his mouth wouldn't close all the way, after feeding this poor animal food and water that he couldn't get enough of,after watching this cat suffer and struggle to breathe and who had no control over his bowel movements,I called her and told her it was my opinion that there was nothing more I could do for this cat and that his quality of life was down to zero.I asked her to come and pick him up,out of respect for her because she had known the cat longer than I had and claimed to love him.She said no problem.Imagine my surprise when she arrived,observed the cat and said he looked all right,just old and frail.I continued to voice my concerns,crying as I watched him become exhausted just trying to eat a dish of food.She called her parents while she was at my home to tell them about the cat and that she was going to take him to the vet and then to their home,where she resides with them.Although she wanted me to keep the cat,I told her I was in no position to care for a cat with such serious problems;he needed a vet.She again tried to convince me to keep the cat.I said I couldn't see a cat suffer like this and to please take him back.
By lvsunreader2009

3/19/09 at 11:04 a.m.

Suggest removal

Part 2: After a couple of updates later in the day from her regarding her visit to the vet(I was amazed she said he just had anemia; yet she was sent home with pain medication and antibiotics for his mouth)I heard from her once more that evening.She called me,hysterical,telling me that I HAD to take the cat back.She said her parents were furious with her and refused to take the cat.Her parents were furious because they already have 21 cats on her parents' property (yes, 21 cats) and that if I didn't take the cat back, her father was going to drive it back to 95 and Eastern where it was before,and dump the cat.She said her father had beaten the sh*t out of her that night over it,had put his hands around her neck,and had fired her from the bookstore he owns and kicked her out of their home where she is living.Needless to say,it was a disturbing call to receive after my husband and I are already in bed asleep.When I told her that I'm sorry about what happened with her parents,but she agreed to take the cat back and that I was in no position to care for a cat in that situation, she became completely irrational and enraged, & through her tears accused me of wanting the cat to die in the street. Still crying hysterically,I simply tried to get her to calm down and listen to me.She never did.When I again told her no,and that if I had known the cat was in such poor shape to begin with I never would have taken him in the first place,she screamed bloody murder and hung up on me.Two days later, she called me.She wanted to come get the food she had given to me when she first dropped the cat off.No apology,no telling me how to cat was,nothing.Just could she come and pick up the food.When I asked her how the cat was,she said fine.When I asked her if she got her job back,she said yes and that she was back living with her parents and that she had the cat.When I told her I expected an apology for the way she treated me,she didn't;she stated that it was I who owed her an apology for "lying to [her] about the condition of the cat." I could go on, but I'm just warning the public that this woman is unstable, and that her "love" for the animals is questionable considering my experience.

« Previous Ten Next Ten »

Live chat: Tuesday, noon PST; Chat with Krista Creelman; Problem Gambling Center executive director Krista Creelman will answer questions about gambling addiction from Las Vegas Sun readers from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. ... Submit question