Library Cat Attack
Prompts $1.5-Million Claim
A man has filed a $1.5-million claim against the city of Escondido, California, after the public library’s cat allegedly attacked his assistance dog last November. In his claim, Richard Espinosa said he was emotionally traumatized by the incident in which his dog Kimba suffered scratches and puncture wounds to the face, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported May 4.
Espinosa said he uses Kimba to assist him with panic attacks; the dog is able to sense before he can when an attack is coming and warns him by putting a ball in his lap.
The cat, named L.C.—short for Library Cat—has lived in the library since it was donated by a homeless woman in 1994.
Medical costs from the attack included $46.49 for the dog’s treatment and a chiropractor’s bill of $38 for Espinosa, who injured his back. But the emotional effects of the attack have been much worse, Espinosa claims, causing him flashbacks, nightmares, and terror.
In addition to the $1.5 million, Espinosa asked that the cat be declawed and the library post a sign warning of potential danger to other animals.
Posted May 14, 2001.
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