A woman snuck into a seemingly abandoned home in Houston to smoke weed. She ended up finding a live tiger in the garage. https://t.co/fMXmY6Mnuh
— NPR (@NPR) February 13, 2019
NPR has the details:
A tiger alarmed a woman who was sneaking into a seemingly abandoned Houston home to smoke marijuana on Monday. Now it has found a new home of its own.
The Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch, a sanctuary located about 200 miles north of Houston, announced on Tuesday it was welcoming the tiger, according to Lara Cottingham, spokeswoman for Houston’s Administration and Regulatory Affairs Department, which oversees the city’s animal shelter that had been caring for the animal.
Cottingham told NPR on Tuesday that the tiger was en route to its new home.
If you’re still caught up on the would-be-smoker-stumbling-across-an-actual-tiger-part, let’s back up.
The woman, who is remaining anonymous, told police she had gone into the home in a residential part of East Houston when she came across the unexpected inhabitant, said Houston police spokesman Kese Smith.
Fortunately for the woman, the tiger was locked inside a 4-feet-by-8-feet cage within the garage. She called 311, the city’s nonemergency line, and animal enforcement officers showed up alongside Houston police, who obtained a warrant enabling them to reach the tiger.
Despite its tight quarters the tiger was apparently healthy and seemed to have been fed regularly. Officials just don’t know by whom.
Houston police have launched a criminal probe to find the tiger’s still-unidentified owner.
“It is categorically not legal to own a tiger within the Houston city limits,” Smith said.
Ya think!!!!
Animal cruelty charges could be involved. “We are working to determine who owns the tiger and who owns the property because that may or may not be the same person.” The woman is not in trouble, Smith added.
The animal officers, who are more accustomed to handling dogs and cats of the smaller variety, tranquilized the tiger, loaded its cage into a horse trailer and drove it across town to the city shelter Monday, Cottingham said. The tiger slept off the drugs and seemed in good spirits by Tuesday morning.
Cottingham noted that this Houston tiger’s story has happy ending with its upgrade from a garage cage to the sanctuary in Murchison, Texas, which comes with expert care.
“We are really glad it worked out as quickly as it did,” Cottingham said.
Open thread!
Doug R
Must be Mike Tyson’s house.
Omnes Omnibus
I have a rock that repels tigers.
Elizabelle
She’s lucky it was caged. How long before her heartrate returned to normal?
@Omnes Omnibus: LOL.
Lalophobia
@Omnes Omnibus: Lisa, I wanna buy your rock.
Major Major Major Major
Yikes!
Jay
@Omnes Omnibus:
Do you have any that work on assholes?
NotMax
Maybe it was just rented.
Ohio Mom
Nice to have a story with a happy ending just as I am ready to turn off the phone for the day. Nighty-night all…
Omnes Omnibus
@Jay: Any rock will do for that. You just have to throw it accurately.
Jay
@Omnes Omnibus:
I was looking for the kind you can just place at the end of the driveway.
Ken
When owning tigers is a crime, only criminals will own tigers.
No, doesn’t make any more sense than the original.
Omnes Omnibus
@Jay: Have you tried Amazon?
Jay
@Ohio Mom:
Good night.
Jay
@Omnes Omnibus:
I tried Esty
NotMax
“So, honey, what kind of duty did you pull today at the police station?”
“Tiger beat.”
dexwood
Fake news. Just a Life of Pi sequel.
Jay
“President Donald Trump wasn’t able to cut a deal for a grandiose Veterans Day military parade, but this year, he says he aims to start a new 4th of July tradition.
The only hitch? The “tradition” he says he wants to start in the nation’s capital already exists.”
https://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2019/02/trumps-big-parade.html?m=1
Wallis Lane
Tiger, tiger caged up tight
In the carports of the night.
What ignoble gal or guy,
Had found thee on Craigslist to buy?
Jay
@dexwood:
Which life of Pi story, the one with the tiger or the one where Pi is the tiger?
Steve in the ATL
@Jay: try yacht rock. That will keep Omnes and me away, but might attract Baud!, eemom, and Bella Q.
Mnemosyne
@Omnes Omnibus:
Turns out you could make a good living selling those in Houston.
Also, I’m thankful that the random pothead was willing to call animal control before something bad happened to the tiger or anyone else. She could have decided it was none of her business and walked away.
Steve in the ATL
@Mnemosyne: walked away, or run away?
Jay
@Steve in the ATL:
Yacht rock? Is that a seasickness thing or like soft rock or muzak?
Mnemosyne
Also, I found out a random Wisconsin factoid on the “WTF” podcast: not only is actor Tony Shaloub from Green Bay, he inherited season tickets from his father and still tries to go to a few games a year.
Jay
@Steve in the ATL:
Stoner’s don’t run.
Brickley Paiste
If you want to know something absolutely heartbreaking ….
There are more tigers in captivity in Texas than remain in the wild.
Mnemosyne
Well, it sounds like she very sensibly ran away as fast as possible when she first realized that there was A FUCKING LIVE TIGER IN THE FUCKING GARAGE! But she didn’t have to call 311 to report it, and she did, so I’m happy and hope the cops didn’t decide to be assholes and write her a ticket for admitting she smokes pot.
Elizabelle
@Wallis Lane: That’s brilliant. Well done.
Omnes Omnibus
Does anyone know where Calvin is?
Mnemosyne
This very timely meme has been making the rounds:
https://imgflip.com/i/2s4p2x
Sadly, the words are Photoshopped though the box and the tiger are real.
piratedan
@Omnes Omnibus: well they did say that the tiger appeared to be well fed… draw your own conclusions…
Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho
@Steve in the ATL: Might be attracted by yacht rock? Really?
You suddenly hate me.
Steve in the ATL
@Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho: zing!
Leto
I can’t wait to see how Floriduh man tries to top this.
Jay
@Steve in the ATL: @Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho:
Had to google it, no such thing in Canada, songs about boats are different up here,
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIwzRkjn86w
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DOw3w-00Jqw
Jay
@Leto:
Did you miss the story of the Floriduh! man and his 5 foot long emotional support alligator?
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Jay: what about a Gordon Lightfoot boat song?
TaMara (HFG)
All I’m saying is I’m NOT fostering that beast.
Ksmiami
America is a deeply weird country. That is all.
NotMax
@Jay
Oddly enough, that story involved a Pennsylvania man.
rikyrah
Did our cat blegs have a happy ending?
NotMax
@TaMara (HFG)
Speciesist!
:)
Steve in the ATL
@Jay: Chilliwack might qualify
Jay
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Yup, Yacht Rock’s different up here, few happy endings, lots of sinkings.
Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho
@Steve in the ATL: I’ll go ahead and check Bootsy’s calendar then to see if I can coordinate anything. I know my favorite guitar player will be around, but he’s not quite as interesting to most of y’all.
Omnes Omnibus
@Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho: Adrian?
barbequebob
This is probably in the wrong place but after I saw this, all I could think of was “Exxon” Howard Schultz – Tool for the Fossil Fuel Industry and Republican Ratf*cker.
https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/howard-schultz-town-hall-houston/h_70c51f68bb792765565d72def8562206
Working hard to help re-elect Trump. Maybe others can come up with a catchier moniker for him
Leto
@Jay: I do remember that, but I think that’s a different category. This is more of a “SURPRISE!” Style story.
@NotMax: Per legal counsel, mums the word.
Steve in the ATL
@Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho: I’ll bring my Stratocaster to Blue Ash next time and we can jam
Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho
@Omnes Omnibus: Good memory! It’s my buddy who introduced me to Adrian when they played together in the Bears. I promised him when we were young that he’d always be my favorite guitar player, though he kinda forgot to tell me Adrian is playing here in March, and it sold out.
I’ll send him his annual valentine anyway, and I suspect I’ll get into the show.
satby
As I remember it, Corner Stone lived in Houston….. Hmm.
Jay
@Steve in the ATL:
Toto became for the most part, Chilliwack, or vice versa.
When it was current, it was called Pop.
When New Wave was current it was called Soft Rock and could be heard on a few AM stations.
When big vocal females and Celtic took over the Pop category, it was called Muzak and instrumental versions were in malls and elevators.
Now even Save on Foods plays Beyonce and Adelle.
Almost like the music has ceased to exist.
If you are going to sail the Salish Sea, you need something with a bit more oomph to motivate the crew, there’s very little coasting under a spinnaker, lots of beating to weather with the sea washing the deck.
This was the go to song on my boat:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dD0xeHKAPOA
Jim, Foolish Literalist
sounds like the town hall went about as well as we might have expected
anybody watch any of it?
TomatoQueen
No. There was a dog show, and the wire-haired fox terrier won again. Could’ve done a long-haired dachsund, or a gorgeous Boxer, or a Bouvier, or even that stupid Sussex spaniel snore, but noooooo. Also, too, there was some shenanigans poorly explained about the Schipperke who won his group but couldn’t compete further because a judge knew him, so that group wasn’t in the Best in Show but the Schipperke who won was allowed to parade in the group, and then was excused. Very very weird ever since the broadcast went to Fox.
Mary G
What I want to know is why she told the cops she went into the house to smoke dope. Isn’t that still illegal in Texas? She could say something like she heard roaring and was worried.
Omnes Omnibus
@Mary G:
I think I can answer that.
TomatoQueen
Maybe she was still in that state of shock where the babble switch is stuck in the ‘on’ position?
Yutsano
@Steve in the ATL: Okay that’s just mean!
Yarrow
@satby: I haven’t seen Corner Stone here for awhile.
There was another tiger incident near Houston a few years ago where a tiger was wandering around a neighborhood.
B.B.A.
danielx
I admit to some surprise; this is the kind of incident I associate with Florida Man.
ETA: Others have had this thought. GMTA.
Adam L Silverman
@rikyrah: As far as I know, yes.
Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho
@Adam L Silverman: Momcat too, I hope. I know Grace found a home.
different-church-lady
@Ken: The only thing that can stop a bad guy with a tiger is…
Jay
@barbequebob:
Coffee Boy?
Jay
@Jay:
Cofeve Boy?
Enhanced Voting Techniques
I thought they didn’t go for that socialist thing in Texas like pet laws because they claim it leads to homosexuality and worse, like car pooling and dancing. So in Houston you can store toxic wastes in your house, but not live tigers.
Adam L Silverman
@Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho: My understanding, because I had to handle the email handoffs, is that a local rescue group was put in contact with Cliosfanboy for the feral colony they’re taking care of, and a specific individual was connected to him for Momcat.
I have not heard anything more.
Amir Khalid
Speaking of cats, YouTuber Kitten Lady (some of you here are familiar with her videos) was in Malaysia recently, and reports on a cat sanctuary by the beach in rural Penang.
Steve in the ATL
@Yutsano: gone gone fone you been gone so long…
hervevillechaizelounge
If anyone is looking for a documentary about nutty tiger owners you need to watch Cat Dancers (2007)—I laughed, I cried, I rethought my life choices and relived the the bedazzled sartorial missteps of the 1980s.
Plus the full film is available on the Youtubes: Cat Dancers
polyorchnid octopunch
@Steve in the ATL: I have one of those. ’79 hardtail.
SixStringFanatic
Better Call Saul!
“That’s not my tiger!”
https://youtu.be/ll7GSiad0ko
Mnemosyne
@Mary G:
Tigers don’t roar, only lions.
But TomatoQueen is right — she was probably in such a state of panic that she just blurted everything out. Plus she was trying to explain to the cops that she’s wasn’t in the house to rob it.
Steve in the ATL
@polyorchnid octopunch: noice!
Skepticat
My morning routine starts with going to Greater Good and clicking, especially the animal rescue site page.
This made me teary.
https://greatergoodoffers.com/landing/partner-pages/alley-cat-allies-2/?utm_source=ctgtabs&utm_medium=sitenav&utm_campaign=alley-cat-allies-2
PaulWartenberg
Let us name the tiger Tyson
TerryC
@Mnemosyne: You know, I am random but I am not a “random pothead.” I have competed athletically for 20 years at a world class level, am retired from 25 years in academic publishing, run two successful LLCs and an S Corp, and I smoke 5-6 joints a day.
IMO, “pothead” should be retired with some of the other words we have been talking about here recently.