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Kokua Line

By June Watanabe

Friday, November 5, 1999

Man’s cat peeves
his neighbor

Question: I have a neighbor who lets his cat out at night to do its business in my yard. He also has rubbish in his yard that he doesn't pick up. I don't know what to do with this neighbor. Do you have an answer?

Answer: Regarding the cat, you don't indicate whether you've talked to your neighbor about your concerns.

"It's always best to open dialogue with people first," said Eve Holt, spokeswoman for the Hawaiian Humane Society. "Maybe he doesn't realize the cat is using your yard as a litter box."

But if the owner shows "a lack of interest in cooperating, people have the right not to have other people's pet trespass," she said.

You can try to discourage the cat by splashing it with water because "cats don't like that," she said. Just don't use a hard spray.

The Humane Society also has a brochure about solutions to cat-related problems. Call 946-2187.

If gentler solutions don't work, you can borrow "humane traps" from the Humane Society to catch the cat. The owner will then have to retrieve it from the Humane Society. This is "if everything else fails," Holt said.

Regarding the rubbish, if it's a health or safety concern, call the city Housing Code Section at 527-6308.

Q: What's the reason for removing the cap on bottled water when purchased at the concession stands at Aloha Stadium? I observe vendors walking in the stands selling bottled water with the caps on and I could bring my own caps into the stadium. Why the difference?

A: Vendors are supposed to take the caps off bottled drinks at all points of sale at Aloha Stadium, said Kevin Haggerty, general manager of concessionaire Aramark.

It's a matter of safety, "so that an excited fan won't throw the (filled) bottle" and possibly injure someone, he said. "If someone threw a bottle from the upper deck and it landed on the field ... that bottle could be dangerous."

Haggerty said this is a stadium policy, and "very common throughout stadiums."

Vendors used to sell drinks in paper cups filled with ice.

Then the industry went to the soft plastic bottles, Haggerty said. Everybody loved the new packaging, especially because there was no watering down of the drink.

"But then, in certain cities, the bottles became projectiles," Haggerty said. Officials didn't want to get rid of the bottles and compromised by removing the caps.

Hawaii Cat Foundation

A Kokua Line reader had asked for names of no-kill animal shelters to donate to and another reader suggested the nonprofit, all-volunteer Hawaii Cat Foundation.

The foundation takes in a limited number of cats on a space-available basis, but it does help people find homes for cats, said one of the founders, Christin Matsushige. If feral cats are involved, the organization will assist in a trap-neuter-return program, she said. "We envision ourselves as helping people help themselves."

For information, call 738-2287 or check www.hicat.org.

Auwe

To the people who brought small children to an R-rated movie, "American Beauty," at the Koko Marina theater at 7:45 p.m. one Saturday night. It was totally inappropriate and strictly for adults. The little boy was himself embarrassed and covered his eyes. -- Tina

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