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Ammi · 27-07-2014, 03:42 AM

Rocky the fearsome feline has been slapped with an ‘animal ASBO’ - after biting people and squatting in neighbours’ homes.

The fearsome feline faced antisocial action after scratching an outside fence, biting two people and entering residents’ homes and refusing to leave.

Owner Samantha Davies has been told by Rotherham Borough Council to keep her four-year-old pet indoors after her local authority received verbal and formal complaints.

Council officials said they had received one formal complaint and two verbal complaints from residents on The Lanes estate over the behaviour of four-year-old cat, Rocky.

When Samantha phoned Rotherham Borough Council to ask about the specific complaints she was told that Rocky had allegedly bitten two people, scratched an outside fence, and had intimidated residents by entering their homes and refusing to leave.

Samantha, 35, said the council action has been ‘ridiculous’

She said: 'Even if Rocky did do these things, it’s hardly what you’d deem to be antisocial behaviour.

'But where’s the proof? I haven’t seen a shred of proof that any of this even happened. I think the council need to concentrate on doing their job properly instead of following up rubbish like this.

'The council told me to lock him indoors, but in this weather I think that’s extremely cruel. He’s a cat and wants to be outside.’

Samantha’s next-door neighbour, David Willoughby, 65, said: 'He comes over to our house quite a bit, but we don’t have a problem with him.

'He did bite me once, but that was because he got stuck and was frightened. Sam was very apologetic about it afterwards and I didn’t have a problem.

'He’s a male cat, and he needs to assert his authority, but he’s not a bad cat really.

Paul Walsh, Housing and Communities Service Manager for Rotherham Borough Council, denied the authority was being heavy-handed saying that it had a duty of care to neighbouring tenants, who have made one formal complaint and numerous verbal complaints about Rocky.

He added: 'We do appreciate it is very difficult to control a cat once they are let out but Rocky has been causing problems around the area for quite a while now and is actually terrifying some local residents who are very vulnerable.

'Last year he allegedly bit two people and his bad behaviour has continued because he causes both internal and external damage when he visits neighbouring properties. He certainly does not like being challenged and lives up to his boxing namesake!.

'We have asked his owner to take reasonable steps to try and cut down his wandering and have advised the neighbours to use a variety of cat deterrents, which certainly includes not feeding him.

'The warning letter is very much a last resort and if the owner takes reasonable steps to control him and we get no further reports from neighbouring residents then obviously this will go no further.’

..I bet he's feline a bit sorry for himself now...