Cat must do Jury Service

Just to make the case that the law really is an ass - in the States, a tabby cat has been selected for jury service.

Apparently, this is because his owners registered him on a Massachusetts state census form - in the pets section as required by law. This resulted in the cat being called for jury service.

It then gets dafter, because the court refused to believe that this was a mistake and insisted that Sal attend on pain of a fine, despite the fact that they got a vet to write a supporting letter confirming that the cat was a 'domestic short-haired neutered feline' and not human.

So her owners Anna and Guy Esposito wrote to the court asking for him to be disqualified from service because he doesn't speak or understand English. According to the Massachusetts judicial branch website, US citizens who 'do not speak and understand English sufficiently well may be disqualified.'

However, the request for the cat's exemption was refused by a jury commissioner and Mrs Esposito was told that Sal 'must attend' Suffolk Superior Crown Court.

She said: "When they ask him guilty or not guilty, what's he supposed to say - meow? Sal is a member of the family so I listed him on the last census form under pets but there has clearly been a mix-up."

If Sal's application for disqualification is denied, the cat is expected in court on 23 March.