Pet Alligator Accused Of Eating Neighbors’ Cats For Decades

A pet alligator has been accused of eating neighbors’ cats for decades in Los Angeles. The 8-foot alligator was located in a covered box in the yard of a Van Nuys home on Monday.

The investigation for the alligator began at the end of 2014. Animal control was alerted to a possible 10-foot alligator on Sylvan Street, but nothing was found on the property.

When animal control served a search warrant during a “surprise visit” on Monday, they found a female alligator named Jaxson with two dead cats. Officers and reptile experts from the Los Angeles Zoo have captured and transported Jaxson to the zoo, where she will remain temporarily.

Citizens of L.A. can’t keep wildlife without a permit, though animal services said a permit for an alligator wouldn’t have been approved anyway. Police are now investigating the owners of the alligator and expect a case to be presented to the city’s attorney office for prosecution.

Several dead cats were found nearby the yard, making animal authorities believe the alligator was eating neighborhood cats. The owners claim they fed Jaxon chicken and that she would never harm a cat.

Laura Matson and her brother Ron Gorecki are the owners of the pet alligator accused of eating cats. Laura started taking care of Jaxson through her late husband Jim when the alligator was still a baby. Both Matson and Gorecki are devastated by the loss of their pet.

“It’s like losing part of my family and plus losing part of Jim. So now I’ve lost him too,” Matson said.

Gorecki said he now understands owning Jaxson wasn’t legal, “but when it becomes a pet, it becomes your family.”

Gorecki also defended taking care of the alligator with his sister, saying it’s not that difficult. He also said, “It’s not that difficult to take care of a boa constrictor. It’s not that difficult to take care of any animal, but it’s the allegations that they are making – basically what they’re trying to say is that we’re taking our cats and feeding them to our alligator. That’s not what happened.”

Jaxon is 37 or 38 years old, according to authorities. Her owners maintain that the alligator was not dangerous, though animal control insists that housing these types of reptiles can be.

The owners of the pet alligator accused of eating cats face citations for maintaining a wild animal without proper care and maintenance and without proper permits.

[Photo Credit: Scott Lipsey]

Pet Alligator Accused Of Eating Neighbors’ Cats For Decades