Cat ‘Rescuer’ May Get Jail in Freeing of 45 Felines

Todd Vailette, according to Lancaster authorities, is a brand-new kind of cat burglar.

They’re accusing him of burgling cats.

Vailette illegally let the cat out of the bag--actually, about 45 cats--on the night of Nov. 6, when he turned loose the feline inmates from more than 16 cages at the Antelope Valley Animal Care Shelter, alleged Deputy Dist. Atty. Sheilah Roberts.

He was familiar with the shelter, having spent several weeks working there in October as court-mandated community service in lieu of a fine for a traffic infraction, she said.

Vailette was found on the premises with a kitten on his shoulder after the cages were opened, she said.

Vailette neither admitted nor denied the break-in in an interview Thursday. But he said that while working at the shelter, he was disturbed by the conditions in which the cats lived, especially the feral cats--those classified as wild. They were kept 10 to 12 in a cage, and when they were fed, “only the big cats got to eat,” he said.

He said he is not a member of any animal rights group, but has saved cats from harm in the past. A year and a half ago, he rescued a cat from pit bulldogs that were killing other cats, he said.

Roberts said Vailette--who faces six misdemeanor charges including grand theft, trespassing and interfering with an officer--could face up to a year in jail if convicted. She noted that those convicted of petty theft in Antelope Valley courts routinely receive a minimum of two days in jail.

“Up here, we don’t just give them a fine and say bye-bye,” she said.

Roberts is scheduled to be arraigned Dec. 19.

Shelter manager Dan Sturkie said that although Vailette may have wanted to help the cats, “he didn’t do them any favor.” His act will cause more cats to suffer in the end by leading to the births of more feral kittens, Sturkie said.

He said Vailette also inconvenienced shelter personnel, now burdened with trying to hunt down the escaped cats.

So far, they’ve found only six.