Stratford Town Attorney Addresses 'Cat Case'

"Everybody’s best intentions failed."

That's what Stratford town attorney Tim Bishop said regarding .

Marion and William Perreira of Frash Street are both charged with animal cruelty and, if found guilty, face arrest and could have to pay over $6000.

The charges stem from violating a contract that was signed by the Perreiras in February 2011. The Perreiras said they signed the contract under threat of arrest.

The contract granted the town permission to use a grant to clean the Frash Street home, which had 27 cats seized from it in July 2010 because of "deplorable" and "stunning" living conditions, as one witness related to Bishop.

"People say the ceilings were soaked with cat urine," he said.

Under the contract, the Perreiras received five cats back after the cleaning. However, as per the contract, the Perreiras were required to follow a strict veterinarian schedule and keep the house in a healthy living condition -- both of which they failed to do, according to court documents.

The Perreiras are due in court Jan. 3 because they are fighting for custody of four cats that were seized from the home and placed in the town's possession on Oct. 28. Bishop said if the Perreiras would simply give up custody to the town, the fines for caring for the animals since Oct. 28 -- i.e., the $6000 -- could be dropped.

The Perreiras said the veterinarian they took the cats to told them more shots or medication would be harmful to the animals so they stopped following the contract's schedule. They also maintain that the house was in a healthy living condition when the cats were seized on Oct. 28.  

An Unusual Case

Bishop said he's never heard of a situation where the town used grant money -- in this case, $8,586 worth from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) -- to pay for a company to clean up a resident's house. The money also paid to put the Perreiras up in a hotel for the week during the cleaning, according to documents.

He said the town went above and beyond -- and possibly a little too far -- to help the Perreiras.

Bishop said the contract, which he personally did not see until after the cleaning, did not originate from the town attorney's office. In fact, he said, "it doesn’t look at all like a lawyer wrote it up." The town attorney said the contract was written under the guidelines of the previous administration and that particular process would not be used now.  

Under the contract, the Perreiras were told to package boxes of items they wished to keep and marked them as such before the cleaning. WIlliam Perreira, 56, said he marked 176 boxes "keep," but when he and his mother returned to the house only 75 of them remained.

Bishop said Stratford Animal Control officers probably supervised the cleaning and there were instances when a "keep" box would be thrown out if deemed contaminated. That was a provision in the contract, he said.

Bishop said he did not know if the town has a list of the items that were thrown out.

Alleged Property Damage

Marion and William Perreira submitted an inventory list of lost or damaged items during the cleaning (see photo gallery). The claim to the town totaled $35,555.50. It included various antiques, furniture, clothing, food, kitchen utensils, stainless steel pots and pans and several appliances.

Marion Perreira said she did not know items would be taken from her drawers. She said the cleaners -- a Stamford-based company called ServPro -- took 30 pans, 36 jars of spices, two 1930s typewriters and a 200-year-old gramophone -- all of which were in boxes marked "keep."

Barbara Perreira, the 90-year-old woman's daughter, said

In a letter to Perreira, Bishop explained why her claim was denied (see photo gallery):

"On February 10, 2011, you and your son, William Perreira, signed an Agreement with the Town of Stratford to have your residence professionally cleaned, refurnished and outfitted with new appliances. In that Agreement you and your son expressly agreed that 'all affected contents' located at your residence would be disposed off. From March 1, 2011 to March 8, 2011, the Town conducted cleaning operations of your residence and installed new furniture in compliance with that Agreement."

The Perreiras, however, say the items they received from the town are in bad condition and believe they were better off with the belongings they had pre-cleaning.

Jan 3, 2012 Court Date

If the Perreiras refuse to give up custody of the four cats and the town can prove neglect and cruelty of the cats, then Marion and William will be arrested and could have to pay over $6000, Bishop said.

The Perreiras said they can't afford to hire a lawyer.