Your tax dollars at work

But for people who do love their cats as much as dog owners adore their pets, she said, Virginia law is unfair. Stealing a cat is a misdemeanor, punishable by as much as a year in jail. Dognappers can get as many as 10 years.

"All I'm trying to do is have the law reflect that if you steal a dog or steal a cat, the punishment should be the same," McClellan told the House Courts of Justice subcommittee.

Supporters of the bill are informally calling it "Ernie's Law" in honor of the kitten whose ordeal inspired the legislation.

Va. pol pounces on cat-theft inequality - 01/14/2008 - MiamiHerald.com